Hey readers! And Happy New Year!
My first post of the new year! Always a delight. Which is why, I'm posting for a fandom I haven't yet. Penelope has been on my mind off and on again for the past year or two. I started writing this (plus a couple outlines for other stories) last year. Then this popped into my head again, I rewatched the movie, read/re-read some fanfics by other authors (scarce as they are), I finally finished the story I started, and here we are.
I liked the movie a lot. I just wish Penelope and Johnny had had a bit more screen time together. Most of the movie they were apart, working on themselves (which is good), but they could have also worked together on their issues.
I think there was so much they could have done different. But, that is what fanfiction is for, right? Of course right.
Starts when Lemon is talking to Johnny at the empty clue.
"It's not too late to stop Edward," Lemon told Johnny as the two sat on the stage of the empty club.
"It's what she wants," Johnny replied sadly. Whatever she wanted, he'd honor her wishes.
"Wait. If getting married is all it takes to break the 'curse' then why not you?" the short reporter asked, still iffy on the curse part of that sentence.
"Forget it, man. I'm not Max."
"So?"
"One of their own kind."
And only when one of your own kind claims this daughter as their own, till death do they part, will the curse be broken.
Johnny took another swig of the bottle in his hand as Lemon just sat there silently for a minute.
"But will she be happy?" Lemon finally asked. Johnny looked back at him, lowering the bottle and swallowing. "I mean, if she marries Edward and the curse does break, the pig nose is gone, then what? She's stuck married to that intitled jerk forever but, hey, at least she's got a normal nose now," he said humorlessly. "Does that sound like a happy ending to you?" he asked. Johnny's eyes glanced away in thought. He knew Edward. There was no way he'd truly accept her and make her happy. "I just think she should be with someone who would accept her no matter what. That would make her happy."
"So you're saying she has to pick between having a normal nose and actually being happy?" Johnny asked.
"I'm saying…maybe someone should let her make that choice," Lemon said, looking squarely at him as he said it. "Because maybe, she doesn't even know that she can make it."
Lemon got up to leave as Johnny put the bottle down.
Did Penelope know she had a choice?
Penelope didn't even know why he had said no to her proposal. The real reason he said no. If he had been Max Campion—the real Max Campion. A blue-blood—then he would have said yes without question.
No. The last times she saw him, she thought he was the blue-blood she thought liked her but ultimately just decided not to marry her.
She didn't know the truth. She didn't know she could choice him, because she thought he wouldn't choice her back.
But he would.
He loved those days he spent talking to her through that one-way mirror, and he wasn't appalled by her pig nose. Even with the nose, he still thought that the rest of her was beautiful—inside and out. He missed her, he cared about her, he adored her, he…
…loved her.
He said he'd honor her wishes. Whatever they might be. If she wanted to be with him, even if it meant the curse never being broken, he'd honor that too.
It was only right that she knew. To let her make that choice.
And she had to make it before it was too late.
He needed to get to that wedding!
"…from this day forward, until death do you part?" the minister asked Edward as he and Penelope stood facing each other at the top of the glassy stairs behind the Wilhern's manor.
"I do," Edward forcefully uttered, trying his best to keep his eyes from looking directly at his bride without making it look too obvious.
"And do you, Penelope Wilhern, take Edward Humphrey Vanderman the third, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Penelope turned her head and glanced away from Edward to her parents who were both smiling excitedly. She understood why. This was the day they'd been anticipating her whole life. The day the family curse would be broken. "To have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer." She looked back at Edward. He was facing her but his eyes only quickly glanced at her then quickly darted anywhere else; her dress, the ground, the minister, the sky, the crowd. It was obvious that he still had a hard time looking at her. But it was okay, because in just a few minutes, her nose would be normal and he would look at her like she was beautiful. Still, it was a bit off-putting. He didn't really love her, but at least he was willing to marry her. "in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish," Penelope looked at her mother again. "from this day forward, until death do you part?" Then her eyes went to Annie—she did not look so happy—then Jack, then Wanda, then Jake, then her father. "Penelope?" the minister asked after she didn't respond.
Penelope looked back at the holy man, then at Edward.
"I…" she started to say but couldn't get the next word out.
Her eyes looked down at her mother again. She saw her mouth the words 'I do' to her.
Those were the words she needed to say. Simple as that. Then the curse would be broken and she could finally be normal.
But as she stared at the older blonde woman, another figure caught her attention. This person wasn't seated under either of the tents where all of the invited guests were sitting. They were standing right beside the tree between the two white tents.
Max, she said with only her lips.
There he was, in a black coat, black fedora, a dark scarf, and leather gloves.
He just stood there, staring back at her, not looking away for even a micro-second, and without any sign of disgust or fear in his face.
Then he opened his mouth, but no words came out. She saw his lips move, however. They moved, and she could see what he was saying.
I love you.
There was no mistaking that that was what he had said.
Penelope smiled. For the first time that day, she genuinely smiled.
She was so happy, she let her small bouquet fall from her hands, picked up her gown and started running down the grassy stairs, completely forgetting Edward and the minister were still there waiting for her reply.
"Penelope!?" Jessica yelled in outrage at her daughter walking away from the alter, but she didn't hear her. Nor did she hear the gasps and murmurs from the rest of the crowd. All Penelope could focus on was Max running toward her.
Finally, someone was running toward her. Not away.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, he was right there, with his arms open for her. She ran into them and felt them wrap around her. And she did the same. He even picked her up and spun her around in a complete circle before putting her down again.
"Penelope," she heard him whisper into her ear like a secret wish. Then he pulled away from her, but only enough to look at her. He kept his arms around her as he looked at her.
"Max, what-what are you going here?" she asked, but before he could answer, her mother's shrill shouts filled the back lawn.
"Jake! Somebody, get this young man out of here! He's not on the guest list and he's ruining my daughter's big day!"
"No! Mother!" Penelope yelled as her mother approached them. She pulled Max back a bit, bravely putting herself between him and her mother.
Jessica stopped in her tracks and just smiled too big at her daughter. "Sweetheart, you don't understand-"
"No, she doesn't," Johnny interrupted her, drawing Penelope's attention back to him. "That's why I'm here." He looked the pig-nosed brunette in the eyes and took both her hands in his. "Penelope…I lied to you. I'm not who you thought I was. My name isn't Max Campion. It's Johnny Martin. My father was a plumber. I'm a pianist, and former gambler," he said.
Penelope just stood there, absorbing the information.
"He's telling the truth, Penelope," Wanda spoke up. Penelope looked at her match-maker as she stood from her chair with a file in her hand. "I have his file—his real file and everything," she added, holding the file up for all to see.
Johnny glanced to the further side of the tents where a few press members stood with cameras and note pads, and there stood Lemon. He looked right at him and winked—or he could have just blinked. It was hard to tell when he only had one eye.
Johnny tugged on Penelope's hands to get her to look at him again so he could elaborate. "Lemon was looking for someone to go into your house and get a picture of you. He needed a blue-blood who was desperate for money. The real Max Campion gambled away his family's fortune and played at the same poker table as me. So when Lemon came looking for Max and someone pointed to our table, he thought that I was Max. When he started talking to me, I tried to tell him to leave me alone but when he offered me $5,000, I just went along with it," he explained, Penelope still looked puzzled but hung onto his every word. "There was a camera hidden in my coat. All I had to do was raised my arm and it would take a picture through a lens in the lapel."
"But you were in the annex with all those other suitors. Why didn't you just take my picture when I came into the room?" she asked.
"Something was wrong with the camera. I dove behind the couch to try to fix it without being seen."
A look of realization came to Penelope's face. "That's why you didn't see me. That's why you were still there after everyone else ran away."
"And it was because of that stupid camera that I didn't touch your nose. I raised my arm and the camera took a picture. I didn't want it to. I realized that it was wrong to expose you like that. I wanted to quit, but I had already gambled away what Lemon gave me so I didn't have much of a choice. But after you ran off and I went back outside to Lemon, I destroyed the camera," he said to her before he turned around to see Edward walking down the grassy stairs. "And I wasn't the only one in on it," he added with a growl.
Penelope looked at the blue-blood groom with even more puzzlement. "Edward?" she asked.
"Don't listen to him," Edward said.
"It's true," Lemon spoke up, walking passed the tents to be closer to them. "He went to the police to report a terrifying, beastly, pig-girl but no one believed him. When the newspaper published a story about his crazy rant and then refused to print a retraction, I talked to him and we came up with the plan together. We needed a blue-blood we could pay to go in and take a picture of you because Prince Charming here refused to face you again." he said, gesturing to Edward. Finally, he reached Penelope and Johnny. "I knew about you. We both just wanted to prove that you were real," Lemon said before looking down in shame for a moment. "But that was wrong. I lost an eye trying to prove that you were real when you were just a baby. It's all I could think about for years. And when I heard him raving about a 'pig-girl,' I thought that I could finally get that story. But you're not a story, Penelope. You're just a girl," he said to Penelope. "And I'm sorry."
Penelope looked at him for a few seconds but gave him a smile, showing that she was glad for him saying all of that. Lemon returned the smile.
Putting the pieces together in her mind, Penelope turned back to Johnny. "Max-uh-Johnny," she quickly corrected herself. "If you're not a blue-blood then-"
"I can't break your curse," he confirmed for her. Then he held her by her arms again. "I mean, I was never a blue-blood to begin with and I didn't need to be just to get a picture of you. But when you asked me to marry you, promising that you'd become normal as soon as we did…I couldn't say yes."
"Because you knew it won't work," Penelope whispered in realization. She really liked Max—Johnny—and she thought he liked her too but was still disgusted by her nose. So she didn't understand why he wouldn't marry her, ever with the promise of it disappearing if they did. And that was what broke her heart into thousands of pieces.
Johnny nodded before continuing. "But what scared me the most was when you said that if it didn't work, you'd kill yourself," he uttered, slightly choked up. "I knew that if I said 'what the hell, I'll marry you' and you still had the nose, and you ended up doing that…I wouldn't be able to live with myself," he said, squeezing her arms a bit tighter. "That's why I said no. It's the only reason I said no."
"If that's the case then why did you come here?" Jessica said rudely, standing not far away. She already knew the truth about him but she didn't see the point in his whole big confession to Penelope if he wasn't a blue-blood. "Edward can break the curse, you can't."
Johnny brushed off Mrs. Wilhern's rude comment and focused back on Penelope.
"Penelope, I thought what you wanted was to break the curse and you didn't care how. But marrying someone you don't love, just to have a normal nose, is that really what you want?" he asked her.
Penelope looked down in thought. When said like that, it did sound ridiculous. She was happy being out in the world, before and after she was exposed. But her mother had said that they only found her amusing because of her nose. They saw her more as a talking pig then an actual girl. So there was no one who would actually want to be with her. And then Edward came back and proposed. "I just wanted to find someone who would be willing to marry me, and believe me when I said that this nose would disappear as soon as we said 'I do.' I thought, then I'd be happy, if only I could find a man like that," she said.
"But what if you didn't have to change?" Johnny suddenly said, immediately drawing her attention back to him. What did he mean by that? "What if there was a man you wanted to be with, and he wanted to be with you. What if, he could make you happy, make you feel loved, but the curse would still never be broken?" he asked.
"Johnny, what are you asking me?" she asked, hope building in her chest.
"To make a choice. A choice I don't think you knew you could make," Johnny said, moving his hands to hold her hands together. "Every day I visited you, talking to you through that glass, were some of the best hours of my life. And when I saw you for the first time, I was startled, but I was not repulsed by you," he told her honestly. "I see you. Back then and right now, I don't see a girl with a pig-nose. All I see is you. A bright, strong, kind-hearted, fun, amazing girl. With beautiful brown eyes, an adorable smile, and…" Johnny paused. He needed to get straight to the point. "Penelope, there is more to you than just that nose. I don't care about the nose. I just care about you." Her eyes became misty, finally hearing someone complement her looks. "I love you. You don't have to change for me." Penelope gasped but smiled at the same time as a single tear left her eye. "So I'm here to give you a choice. If it's really what you want, you can go back up there with Edward, get married, and have a normal life with a normal nose, and you'll never have to see me again," he said sadly. "Or, you can have me; a broke commoner, piano player, who loves you and will try his best to make you happy, without breaking the curse."
Penelope didn't know what to say. She gently pulled her hands back and just held them to her chest as she reflected on everything she knew and what she felt.
Johnny was letting her chose. Her whole life, she had been told what to do; hide her face, be the perfect bride to make up for her hideous nose, find a blue-blood to marry, break the curse. Edward was clearly repulsed by her. She didn't like the idea of marrying him anymore than he did, but it was the only way to break the curse. The thing she'd been pushed toward her whole life. To be normal.
But she didn't want normal. She just wanted her freedom. That was why she left home. She was happy getting out in the world, even with the nose. She didn't love Edward and he didn't love her. Marrying him would mean the opposite of freedom. Johnny, though. He was only trying to protect her and honor her wishes. He really did love her. He inspired her to leave home, he made her feel happy and hopeful.
He didn't run at the first sight of her. He tried to look out for her. And then he came back to finally tell her the whole truth and let her chose for herself.
Johnny wasn't a blue-blood. He couldn't break her curse but he didn't care if it was never broken. If he didn't care, why should she?
Everyone waited with baited breath for Penelope to reply. Finally, she sighed, then she looked Johnny back in the eyes and spoke.
"Every man that came to meet me, that I talked to from that one-way viewing glass in my room, after I showed myself to them, they all ran out. They always ran out at the sight of me. I was so used to it, it never bothered me much. I never shed a tear from their rejection. But I did from yours." Johnny's heart cracked a little at that. Saying no to her that day hurt him too. "You visited me more than any of them. You made me laugh more than any of them. I enjoyed seeing you and talking to you more than all of them combined," she said with a light laugh, Johnny chuckled too. "And when you didn't immediately run away at the sight of me, I felt hope for the very first time that you could be the one. I wanted you to be the one…because I was falling in love with you, Johnny," she said, taking his hands in hers again. "I agreed to marry Edward because I didn't think I had any other choice," she said solemnly. "But I do," she smiled and reached up to cup Johnny's face. "And I chose you."
Johnny's smile widened. The two just smiled at each other before Johnny slowly reached a hand up to her nose. Penelope closed her eyes as she felt his fingers graze the tip of her snout. A few more tears fell from her eyes; happy tears.
This was what he had meant to do that day he first saw her.
After a few seconds, his hand trailing away from her nose and cupped her left cheek.
"May I kiss you?" he asked tenderly.
Penelope bit her lip. "I've never been kissed before," she admitted shyly. "But yes."
Johnny leaned in and touched his lips to hers, tilting his head enough so that his nose wouldn't collide with hers. Their lips met in a tender but passionate collision. Johnny wanted to kiss her harder. He had missed her so much and was so happy that she had picked him over breaking the curse. But he did his best to restrain himself for fear of frightening her on her first kiss—also, her parents and a bunch of other people were staring at them.
Speaking of her parents, Jessica's eyes were wide and her mouth was hung even wider in astonishment.
"Penelope!" she shouted, snapping the two love-birds out of their smooch. "Sweetheart," Jessica said, smiling way too big as she approached her daughter. "That was touching but Edward is still waiting-" she gestured over to the blue-blood who was now standing with his parents by the other tent.
"Mother, stop it!" Penelope hollered, cutting her off. "I'm not marrying Edward."
"Sweetheart, this is the moment we've worked so hard for," she said to her. "Finally, after all of these years, we'll all be free. You'll be free."
Penelope took a step away from Johnny to properly confront her mother.
"Why can't you just accept me the way I am?"
"Because this isn't you!" Jessica shouted. "This face, remember, is your great-great-great grandfather's face. He brought the curse on our family. And it's your responsibility to break it."
"It's not the family's curse, mother. It's my curse. My decision," Penelope replied defiantly. "You can't make this one for me anymore."
"Sweetheart, please!" Jessica practically begged, grabbing her daughter by her arms and shaking her a bit. "We are one yes away from a whole new life! A whole new you!"
"Mother, I don't want a whole new me!" Penelope yelled, stepping back and forcing her mother's hands off of her. "I don't want anyone to change me. Not you, not Edward, not anybody!" There was a paused as Penelope looked behind her to her love. "Johnny loves me the way I am," she said tenderly to him, making him grin back at her, happy, but also proud to see her finally standing up for what she wanted instead of letting her mother control everything. Penelope turned back to look at her mother. "And so do I."
She loved herself the way she was.
But as those impowering words left her mouth, an invisible force slammed into Penelope's front, throwing her backwards at least a foot or two. Luckily, Johnny was right there to catch her.
"Penelope!" the pianist shouted in worry as she collapsed into his arms.
"Penelope!?" her parents and friends screamed, also worried about her, before running over to her side.
Her eyes were closed like she had fainted. Johnny was on his knees as he cradled her in his arms.
"Penelope, can you hear me?" Johnny said, shaking her a bit but she did not stir. "Come on, wake up. Please wake up," he urged, a bit more desperately. Why had this happened? What was wrong with her?
And just like that, everyone watched in bewilderment as Penelope's nose suddenly changed from the pig's nose that she was born with, to a small, normal, beautiful nose. Her ears also changed too, from pig-like human ears to completely normal human ears.
Seconds later, Penelope's eyes fluttered open.
"Penelope?" Johnny said, relieved that she was regaining consciousness so quickly.
"What-what happened?" she asked, still a bit dazed as she sat up on the ground.
"Girl, you should see this," Annie said, squatting beside her and pulling out a compact mirror. She opened it and held it up to her best friend's face.
Penelope's eyes widened in awe at her reflection. She took the small mirror out of her best friend's hand and held it closer to her face. Then she reached up and touched it with her other hand.
She didn't see the face she was used to looking at and sighing in dismay, nor did she feel it when she touched it. This face was familiar but vastly different.
Gone was the pig nose that made her so different, as well as the ears.
She looked beautiful. She looked normal.
The curse was broken. But how?
"I…I don't understand," she said, unable to take her eyes off her reflection.
"Only when one of your own kind claims her as their own," Johnny recited the curse under his breath. Then a look of realization came to him, and he tugged Penelope's shoulder to look at him. "Penelope, you're a blue-blood. By admitting that you loved yourself the way you were, you claimed yourself as your own," he explained excitedly. "You broke the curse!"
Penelope just looked at him in surprise. "I did?" she uttered, still unsure. She and Edward hadn't finished the ceremony, so she knew it hadn't been from him. And Johnny wasn't a blue-blood, even though he did confess his love for her. She remembered those words were the last thing she said before she felt that strange force and then fainting. It was the only thing that made sense. "Oh my gosh, I did," she whispered, a smile quickly growing on her lips. "I did!" She lunged herself at Johnny, almost knocking him over where he sat on the ground as he caught her in his arms again. He held her there for a few seconds before Penelope pulled back a bit, just enough to look at him. "Do you still accept me like this?"
Johnny just smiled at her. "Like I said. I don't care about the nose. All I care about is you."
"Well, I'm still me," she shrugged happily before leaning in to kiss him again. Johnny kissed her back, cupping the side of her head.
"I can't believe it," Jessica uttered, even more wide-eyed than before as she watched the two.
That was all it took to break the curse?
She hadn't needed to marry anyone? She just needed someone—a blue-blood—to accept her as their own, love her unconditionally, and then the curse would break?
As Johnny helped Penelope stand up, the minister came up to them.
"Penelope," he said to the bride. "Will there still be a wedding today after all?" he asked hopefully, looking between her and Johnny.
Penelope and Johnny looked at each other funnily, before they both smiled.
"Sorry, Father. I don't think we're ready for that just yet," she said respectfully to him. She might love Johnny but their love was still new. And now that the curse was broken, there was no need to rush. She was normal now, now she just wanted a normal relationship with the man she loved. "Come on," she said, taking Johnny's hand and pulled him toward the stairs.
"Penelope?" her mother called to her, wondering where she was going.
"Where are we going?" Johnny asked but let her drag him along.
"Just come on!" she said, laughing. Johnny did his best to keep up with her as she lead the way back into the house.
"Penelope?!" her mother yelled again but they kept going.
Back inside the Wilhern manor, Penelope ran, leading Johnny through hallways and up staircases until they arrived at the familiar hallway.
He remembered the door to the annex was a bit further down but that wasn't where Penelope was going. She stopped them at the door right in front of them and opened it.
As soon as she was inside, Penelope pulled Johnny in with her, then closed the door behind him. Then she locked it. When it was secure, Penelope launched herself at Johnny again, but this time, with less restraint.
Johnny's back hit the door hard but he hardly noticed as Penelope's lips met his quickly and fiercely. He kissed her back, just as strongly, cupping her head, pulling her in as close as he could while his other arm wrapped around her waist. Penelope did the same, one hand carding her fingers in his hair as she pulled his head down to her, while the other felt around his shoulder and the back of his neck.
Their heads tilted, deepening the kiss. Johnny was surprised that she was being so bold so soon after just having her first kiss. But after feeling her tongue enter his mouth, he didn't care.
Her little moans were beautiful melodies to his ears.
Less concerned about frightening her, Johnny decided to flip them over. He turned, taking Penelope with him so it was her back against the door. She gasped into his mouth but moaned and continued to kiss him all the same.
When they both felt the need to breath, Johnny released her lips and trailed his down Penelope's neck, kissing and sucking on the pale, beautiful skin.
Penelope arched her back, pleasure like she'd never felt before coursing through her body. Her skin tingled, her heart beat twice as fast, a pressure from deep inside of her abdomen steadily getting stronger and hotter.
"J-Johnny," she whispered.
Hearing her gasp his name sent a powerful surge up his spine. Johnny pulled away from her neck. "Penelope," he whispered, close to her mouth before kissing her on the lips again.
She giggled after he pulled away. She liked the sound of his voice saying her name.
They both just stood there trying to catch their breathes for a minute.
"Wow," was all Penelope could say.
"Look at you. You're so flushed," Johnny chuckled, cupping her cheek, noticing how pink her face had become. It was almost alarming. "You're not gonna faint again, are you?" he half-joked. Maybe this was a little too exciting for her.
Penelope still smiled at him. "No," she reassured him. "I just…that was so…intense."
"I know. But you liked it?" he asked.
"Very much," she nodded, cupping his jaw and looking him lovingly in the eyes.
Johnny leaning his face into her touch and placed a hand over hers.
"So what now?" he asked her.
Penelope looked down in thought for a moment. What now indeed? "Well, now that I'm not going to be Mrs. Edward Vanderman, and I'm not the front-page-pig-girl anymore, I can do anything I want."
She was free of the curse so she looked like a normal human young woman now, plus she wasn't married to someone she didn't even love. She was as free as a butterfly.
"Okay. So what do you want to do?" Johnny asked her further.
Penelope thought for another moment. "Be a horticulturist," she said confidently. "Maybe a teacher," she added excitedly. She loved kids and without the nose, they couldn't make fun of her or be afraid of her.
"Do you plan on moving out again?"
"I think so," Penelope replied, a bit less sure. "Although, I'm not sure where without my mother's credit card."
"I'm sure they'll give you a little to help you live on, just until you get a paying job," he told her. Then he paused for a moment, thinking about his next words carefully. "But you know, to help you save money, you could move in with someone."
Penelope just grinned at him. "Oh? Like who?" she asked coyly.
"Someone with a lonely but clean apartment, big enough for two, and would love to see you every day when he comes home and when he wakes up every morning," he explained to her softly.
"I'd love to," she replied just as softly. They both leaned in to kiss each other again, briefly.
When they pulled away, Penelope gently pushed passed Johnny and went up further into her room.
"Where are you going?" he asked her.
"To pack," she said over her shoulder as she made her way over to her closet.
Johnny followed, up the small stair case and stood on the main floor. "So this is your room?" Johnny said, looking around. There was a lot of space, plenty of beautiful trinkets, art on the walls, books, plants under glass covers, butterflies. She even had a swing. Her personality was everywhere in the room. He also noticed the one-way viewing window into the annex with a bench under it. And next to it was the door to go in.
"Yup. This is where a slept, played, learned, and basically where I spent my whole life," she replied as she took two suitcases and some clothes out of her closet, pilling them on her bed.
"At least it's nice." Of course, the obvious lack of windows was peculiar but he understood why. Her mother really went to great lengths to make sure no one ever saw her.
"Johnny," Penelope said, drawing his attention away from one of her small planters. "Before I pack, I'd like to…get out of this," she said, a bit timidly, gesturing down to her wedding dress.
"Oh, you want me to leave?"
"No, you don't have to leave. I actually need your help." Penelope turned around, pulling her hair from behind her to her front, exposing the back of her dress. "If you could just get my zipper and then…turn around," she said, more nervous.
She didn't know what possessed her to ask it of him. They only just declared their love for one another and she was asking him to undress her.
She had had someone else help her into the dress earlier. So naturally, she needed someone to help her out of it. And Johnny was the only one there so…
Johnny blushed a little. "Uh…yeah, sure, of course," he uttered nervously, making his way over to her.
Johnny stood behind her. He located the teeny zipper, pinched it, and tried to pull it down and it wasn't moving. Using his other hand to gasp the top of the dress helm, he tried again. Finally, it moved. Slowly, Johnny pulled it downward, bit by bit, exposing more of Penelope's bare back. Apparently, her dress was braless because he didn't see a clasp or anything.
Just inches of uninterrupted, pale, beautiful skin.
Johnny took his time, savoring the view of her, until the zipper finally reached the bottom. Or he should say her bottom.
He was careful not to touch her there and took his hand away quickly. He might not be a noble but he was still a gentleman. Then of course, as asked, he turned around. As tempting as it was to do more than just stare, Johnny truly cared about Penelope and he wasn't going to ruin things so soon by acting like a pig—no pun intended.
"There. You-you're good to go," he stuttered nervously again.
Penelope slightly turned her head to check that he had indeed averted his eyes. Upon seeing him with his back turned, she smiled. "Thank you," she said before removing the dress the rest of the way.
As nervous as she was, there was something oddly empowering about what Penelope was doing. The way she made Johnny nervous and look at her with longing. It felt good to be seen like she was beautiful.
And not just beautiful…sexy.
Penelope turned so she could stare at Johnny's back while she undressed. There she was, standing practically naked in her room…alone…with a boy present. She never thought the day would come. She didn't even care that he wasn't looking at her. She had asked him not to for modesty's sake, not shame because of her nose. And she loved that he respected that.
Still, a little teasing couldn't hurt.
Dress in hand, Penelope threw it onto the floor, allowing it to slid across the wood, landing right next to Johnny's left foot.
Johnny couldn't help but look down, almost choking on his own saliva.
He knew Penelope was undressing behind him but to see the clothing right there, implying that she was possibly naked right behind him…it was almost too much.
"You're taunting me. Aren't you?" he asked when he heard a faint giggle.
"Don't know what you're talking about," Penelope said innocently before going back to her bed to change into a new outfit.
"A girl only strips in front of someone to taunt them." Maybe she wasn't as sheltered as he had thought.
"I didn't strip in front of you. I stripped behind you."
Johnny chuckled. This girl was going to be the death of him.
Oh, what a way to go.
The next few minutes were quiet with Penelope dressing into one of her usual outfits and Johnny's eyes continued wondering her room but stayed turned away from her.
When Penelope was fully dressed, she stared at Johnny's back and smiled. She quietly walked up to him and hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around to his front and burying her face in his shoulder blades.
Johnny was snapped back to the present by the unexpected contact but melted into her embrace in no time. "Are you decent?" he asked.
"Yes," she giggled. She loosened her hug just enough for Johnny to turn around to face her again and held her back. He cupped one of her cheeks and leaned down to kiss her again. Penelope kissed him back, sweet and tender, then pulled away. "Help me pack, please?"
"Sure."
Penelope lead Johnny over to her bed where she had two suitcases open on top and clothes scattered out messily. She handed garments to him to fold, while she sorted though what she wanted to take with her—mindful to not let him handle any of her undergarments. She'd come back for everything else some other day but she needed to pick what to take for now.
After a while, Penelope was placing the last few things into her suitcases when there was a knock on her door.
"Penelope?" It was her mother.
"Just a minute, mother!" she called back, going back to packing.
Less than ten seconds later, there was a harder knock. "Penelope! Open the door!" Jessica cried louder. The door knob rattled but did not budge.
"We'll be out in a second!" Penelope yelled.
"We!?" they heard Jessica scream. They both chuckled.
Finally, Penelope zipped closed one of her suitcases and Johnny zipped the other.
She was ready to go.
Johnny carried one case while Penelope carried the other and the two made their way over to the door. A few more harsh knocks came from behind it just as Penelope unlocked it.
Upon opening the door, Jessica was standing there with Franklin, plus Wanda and Jake behind them.
"What is this?" the mother asked in shock, staring at the suitcases in their hands and by the fact that the young man had been in her daughter's bedroom.
"I'm moving out. Again," Penelope stated confidently to her.
"Moving Out?! Moving where?"
"With me," Johnny said, taking his girlfriend's hand. Their fingers interlocked with each other's as she looked back at him and smiled.
"With you?!" Jessica shrieked. "No, no, no. It's one thing for-"
"Jessica!" Franklin hollered. "Let me handle this," he said, walking passed her to stand before the two youths himself. His face was unreadable but also steer. Penelope and Johnny both stood there, nervous of what he was about to say. "You, young man," he said, pointing at Johnny. The pianist stared at him, keeping his face as brave as possible. But then Franklin's face softened into a proud smile. "Take good care of my little girl," he said, his pointing gesture turning into an offered hand to shake respectfully.
Johnny looked down at the hand in surprise for a second before sighing in relief. He had to put down the suitcase to grasp his hand. "I will do my best, sir. Thank you," he promised, shaking the hand with a smile.
Penelope smiled too, seeing her father at least approved. When they were done shaking hands, she approached her father and hugged him. "I love you, father," she said. He hugged her back. After she pulled away, she turned to her stuttering mother and hugged her too. "Love you too, mother," she said. Jessica was too stunned to hug her back or utter more than a few none specific words.
"Penelope?" she finally got out as she watched her daughter quickly hug Wanda and Jake too. Johnny picked up the second suitcase and then followed his beloved down the hall. "Penelope!"
"I promise to write, call, and visit!" she called back without stopping her walk.
Penelope and Johnny, arm in arm, walked out of the house, heading for Johnny's apartment. It wasn't anything too impressive now but with Penelope's decorating skills, it was sure to be a lot better. Not just his apartment anymore. Their home.
Penelope was determined to become a children's horticulturist teacher and Johnny was committed to keeping his gig at his old club and to never sitting at another gambling table again.
And they both lived happily ever after.
And there u have it.
Johnny crashing the wedding, Johnny telling Penelope himself that he wasn't a blue-blood, and a hot making-out session of Johnny and Penelope with a little extra sexy teasing. All things I wished they could have included in the movie. (Of course, the actual kiss at the end was beautiful. Zero complaints about that).
Hope to write my other Penelope stories sometime. If it stays on my mind a bit longer, I'll work on them.
Thanks for reading. Please favorite, follow, and review.
And once again, Happy New Year! ;D