" I just wanna be myself " (A Hunchback Of Notre Dame fanstory)

Chapter 2

Over the course of the next few weeks, all the symptoms of pregnancy seemed to hit Esmeralda one by one. The nausea, the vomiting, feeling fatigued, her breast becoming swollen and tender, and she'd occasionally get heartburn, although it never lasted for long, at most, the heartburn would last for just a few minutes, but it'd still come back and make her chest burn whenever she drank something or ate something.

Quasimodo on the other hand had gotten all the baby equipment from the attic, and had set up the older bassinet in the new room, which just needed to be painted at this point, which he hadn't gotten to yet as every time he wanted to go buy said paint, he'd forget. No big deal, people forget things all the time, thankfully, Esmeralda wasn't upset about it, she was too busy dealing with all the pregnancy symptoms that seemed to hit her continuously and nonstop.

Now, the two were on their way to the ' Court Of Miracles ', where most of the Romani community had resided at and where they usually kept all the equipment for the yearly festivals and parties that would be held. They were on the main street where the ' Court Of Miracles ' was as they wanted to tell the Romani community about Esmeralda being pregnant again, as they were almost for sure that there would be some sort of celebration, kind of like a baby shower, but much more extravagant then anything.

Their toddlers weren't with them, as they were back at Notre Dame, they were being watched by Esmeralda's long time friend, a young woman named Bernadette, whom was a trusted family friend and also the toddlers godmother. The main reason as to why the couple didn't bring their children with them was because of all the tobacco that would've been smoked and the burning herbs, the burning incense, and whatever else the community would be burning. They didn't want to risk their children's lungs or heart with all the smoke and fumes that would be in the air.

" How do you think Clopin will react to the news? " Esmeralda asked, her hand gently resting on the small bump that had formed on her abdomen, her hair was tied back with a bright red scarf with a flower pattern all over. She wore a light purple shirt and a black skirt that went down to her shins.

" Well, he is your  le frère, I expect him to do about.. say five or so somersaults? maybe more if he had any energy drinks today " Quasimodo responded with a smirk on his face. He wore a regular light blue shirt and a pair of sweatpants, nothing too out of the ordinary for him to wear, especially during a cool spring afternoon.

Esmeralda laughed at this " True, true. Man, he really has to cut back on those energy drinks. Poor guy is gonna have an energy overdose and he'll probably start peeing blood " 

Quasimodo's eyes widened a bit at this statement " Wait... can someone actually pee blood? Or are you just saying that to scare him? "

Esmeralda scratched her head in confusion, cocking an eyebrow, she thought about that question for a moment " I think..? But i'm not sure, you know? " She responded, still scratching her head.

" Maybe someone could pee blood if it was an issue with their kidneys? " Quasimodo mentioned, shrugging his shoulders.

After walking for a while, the couple finally made their way to the stairwell that was the main entrance for the ' Court Of Miracles '. Esmeralda let out an exhausted sigh, as her ankles and feet began hurting from how long they were walking, mainly because they were starting to become swollen and they were hurting. Quasimodo had noticed this and he carefully picked her up and held her bridal style, which made Esmeralda's face turn red from embarrassment.

The strong smell of dying incense filled the long and treacherous hallway that lead to the ' Court Of Miracles ' itself, the hall had various colorful banners hanging on the walls and ceiling, confetti was strewn about all over the ground, the occasional piece of cloth coated in glitter or sequins was on the floor or even plastered on the walls with either glue, thumbtacks, or rope tying it up and away from the floor.

" Quasi, you can put me down now, my feet aren't THAT sore! " Esmeralda remarked sarcastically, her scarf that once held her hair up was now tied around the lower part of her face and was covering her nose and mouth, trying to not smell the incense that was slowly fading away but was still somewhat prevalent in the air.

Quasimodo quietly laughed at this " Oh? But what if the baby makes your feet hurt again? I don't want you to get mad at the baby for making your feet and legs hurt! "

Esmeralda rolled her eyes " If this baby starts doing somersaults and making my legs hurt, i'll let you know so you can tell the baby to knock it off yourself! " her tone was joking and sarcastic

Quasimodo laughed as he continued to carry Esmeralda bridal style down the hall, when he noticed the light of the ' Court Of Miracles ' just up ahead. The couple sighed in relief as both were slightly exhausted from how long it took them to get to the area itself.

Upon reaching the large curtain that was essentially the main entrance, Quasimodo, still holding Esmeralda in one arm, moved the curtain and walked into the ' Court Of Miracles '. Upon entering, the various Romani folk looked up and they were all smiles and cheers as the couple walked down the stairs. After walking down the stairs, Quasimodo placed Esmeralda down, who then took her scarf from around her mouth & nose and tied her hair back once more.

Just as face as they had entered the ' Court Of Miracles ', Clopin made his way over to the couple, the sound of the bells on his shoes somewhat echoed in the large and open room. He had an ecstatic look on his face, his eyes beaming with joy and he seemed to be filled with energy, which Esmeralda was used to at this point.

" Well! Well! Well! Look at who it is everyone! " Clopin exclaimed loudly " Why, if it isn't my la soeur and her husband! " His permanent wide smile seemed to never fade away, even if he was upset, that smile of his wouldn't fade away.

Esmeralda wrapped her arms around Clopin and embraced him in a hug, to which he returned the embrace " Bonjour, le frère "  She spoke " We have some very exciting news to tell you and everyone else! "

After the two let go of each other, Clopin looked even more ecstatic then he did before, it seemed as if sparkles could be seen in his eyes as he joyfully cartwheeled over to some of his friends, before he was bouncing with joy.

" Haven't even told him yet and look at him. He's acting like he won the lottery or a new car " Esmeralda remarked in a sarcastic tone, her arms folded and a smirk on her face.

" I mean, it's understandable, right? " Quasimodo asked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion

" Eh, true. " Esmeralda responded, shrugging her shoulders.

" So! " Clopin began, happily bouncing his way back to the couple, except this time, he went behind them, and began ushering them to his little area, where he promptly sat them down on a couch that he had found " What's this exciting news you got for us today? "

After adjusting herself so her back wasn't going to end up sore from sitting in an uncomfortable position for a while " Well, tell me this, jester boy " Esmeralda spoke, her smirk still plastered on her face.

" I ain't no jester! " Clopin spat back at her, his tone seemed sarcastic " You did a seductive dance a couple years ago! "

" Who's to say that i still don't do that same dance when the kids are all tucked away and fast asleep in their beds? " Esmeralda spat back, her smirk seemed to be a bit more devious then before, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Quasimodo didn't seem to get it at first, but once the comeback settled in his head, his face flushed a bright shade of red as he covered his face with his hands, burying his face in his lap, he tried to hide the fact that he was both extremely flustered and was laughing at the same time.

Clopin folded his arms, raising an eyebrow at Esmeralda's remark " Yeah yeah, anyways! " He rested his left leg on his right leg " what's this news ya got for us? "

Esmeralda sighed as she looked over at Clopin and his little group of friends, whom were all sitting on small stools which had pillows and cushions on them so their rears didn't hurt on the wooden stools, their arms resting on either their laps or on a small wooden table that sat in front of them.

" Well... " Esmeralda began, her smirk softening into a smile " let's just say that you'll be happy to know that you're either getting a le neveu or a la nièce! " Her tone was happy and exciting.

Clopin's jaw could've fallen and hit the ground with a loud thud, his eyes shot open out of pure joy. He jumped out of his chair, his arms flailing up and down as he cheered and hollered out, which echoed and bounced off the walls. His cheering and hollering caught the attention of everyone else, as they were all beginning to surround the group, confusion plastered all on their faces.

Quasimodo looked around at the growing crowd, his expression was changing from flustered and embarrassed to more afraid and scared. He felt his heartbeat slowly pick up pace, his legs and hands began trembling, his breathing became rapid, as if he was afraid of something. Now, his entire body was shaking, he couldn't seem to focus on anything, he was hyperventilating, and small beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and were slowly falling down his face and landing on his legs.

Everyone seemed to notice the fact that Quasi didn't look alright, but Esmeralda and Clopin seemed the most concerned about him.

" Something... doesn't feel right " Quasimodo muttered out, his hands clasped together, still hyperventilating.

Esmeralda and Clopin stood up together, as Esmeralda whispered to her brother:

" Let's get him out of here, he's about to have an anxiety attack "

Clopin nodded as a response. Esmeralda carefully took Quasimodo's hand and guided him up and away from the crowd, Clopin walked behind the couple, using an old stilt of his to keep them back. The crowd felt bad, they didn't mean to make Quasimodo have a panic attack, and they knew that he had anxiety issues, but they still felt bad.

After getting him out of the ' Court Of Miracles ', leaving the long and treacherous hallway, and walking back up the stairs, the trio all seemed to breathe a sigh of either relief or stress. Clopin placed his old stilt down on the ground, his arms crossed as he looked away out of guilt.

" Je suis désolé, I didn't mean to cause a scene, i was just so excited about the news and- "

Esmeralda cut him off " Clopin, don't apologize, we know you didn't mean it, we understand. Excitement can get the better of us. "

Quasimodo's eyes then went wide, he slowly stepped forward, his eyes focused in front of him, as if he was thinking about something that had clouded his mind, when he finally spoke, his voice was trembling, like he was about to cry.

" The... the children... Something is wrong, i can feel it. Something's wrong with the children! " 

Esmeralda and Clopin felt shivers go down their spines, their expressions turned from worried to down right mortified, as they too felt that something could've been wrong with the quadruplets and even Bernadette.

Without wanting to waste anymore time, the trio all began to run towards Notre dame, despite the fact that Esmeralda should NOT be running no matter what. So after running for just a few moments, Quasimodo picked up Esmeralda bridal style and carried her as they all continued to run towards Notre Dame, where the sound of police sirens, ambulances, and fire trucks all became more and more louder and much more clearer. This only caused the trio to become more and more terrified.

Once Notre Dame came into view, the trio noticed Esmeralda's friend, Bernadette, sitting on the steps of Notre dame, a blanket wrapped around her body, her face all bruised up, her nose and lip bleeding, a knife gash across her cheek, and her expression was that of someone who was petrified, like she survived an attack.

Once they got the okay, the trio all made their way to Bernadette, who upon seeing them, nearly burst out into tears, her hands and legs trembled " Oh my god... you guys.. i'm so sorry " She whimpered out, her eyes seemed wet with tears.

" Bernadette... what had happened? " Esmeralda asked, her voice seemed stern yet concerned for her children and friend.

" Phœbus de Châteaupers... that's what happened. " Bernadette's eyebrows furrowed out of pure anger, as if the name she had just said made her visibly angry or upset.

The trio all looked at each other, they all felt their blood turn to ice. Clopin began looking around the area, as if it was possible that Phœbus de Châteaupers himself was around, as if Phœbus de Châteaupers hadn't left the area or scene yet.

" What did he do? " Clopin asked, still looking around, his legs starting to shake from how worried he was becoming.

Bernadette looked away, her pale blue eyes landing to the polished stairs, she didn't wanna answer, she did not wanna answer that question, no matter how many times it was asked, or even who asked it, she didn't wanna answer it, and yet, the answer to the question itself was eating her up inside, she wanted to answer the question, but she just couldn't. She couldn't find the words or how to even put it into a sentence on how to respond to that very question.

With a quiet sigh, Bernadette looked up at the trio, tears streaming down her cheeks and landing on the ground, she spoke the answer: " Phœbus de Châteaupers... He kidnapped them. He took them away from me.. i tried to stop him, but he just.. overpowered me! "

Quasimodo and Esmeralda felt their hearts stop and shatter into a million pieces. Everything went silent. They didn't feel alive anymore. They fell to their knees as they began to sob uncontrollably.

Clopin felt himself go numb, his eyes wide and filled with despair, his hands slowly clenched into fist as he felt his grief becoming replaced with pure anger. He felt his blood boil, you could almost see the steam coming out of his ears from how angered he was. His beloved le neveu and la nièce were missing. All because of Phœbus de Châteaupers... It was all HIS fault.

As Clopin felt like his rage couldn't be contained any longer, he turned his head to the right, and lo and behold, none other than Phœbus de Châteaupers HIMSELF, was talking to one of the police officers on scene, acting like he was just hearing of this news himself.

Esmeralda, through her blur of tears, had noticed him too, her body shuddered with every sob that escaped her lips. She looked up at Clopin, tears streaking down her cheeks, and despite the fact that she was sobbing hysterically, she spoke a single sentence to Clopin:

" Clopin, go over there and fuck him up "

And with that, Clopin stormed over to where Phœbus de Châteaupers was, his hands clenched into fist, you could practically see the flames in his eyes as he slowly stormed to where Phœbus was at. Clopin made sure that the police officer was away and out of sight from him and Phœbus, just so he'd be able to beat him without drawing too much attention, then again, Clopin was known for drawing attention and causing a scene.

Without warning, and without any form of hesitation, as soon as Clopin made his way to where Phœbus was, he proceeded to grab him by the front of his shirt, slammed him into the ground, and proceeded to take his anger out all on Phœbus. Just punch after punch, and hit after hit, Clopin wasn't going to stop until Phœbus was left a bloody mess and barely even recognizable.

Esmeralda watched on, her brows furrowing, her expression was a mixture of pure rage and grief, tear streaks staining her cheeks and tear droplets staining her shirt. She quickly focused her attention to Quasimodo, who wasn't sobbing anymore, but his body was trembling and shuddering, his eyes were red and puffy from crying, his fingers tangled in his hair.

" Bernadette, what exactly happened?  Please tell us " Esmeralda asked, her tone seemed serious yet still worried.

Bernadette looked up, her blood now dried to her cheek from her open wound " Well... " she began " I was just babysitting the kids, like you had asked me too. I had my hearing aids on, and i made sure to keep them on at all times, no matter what " She spoke, her voice trembling.

Esmeralda and Quasimodo nodded as they listened " I heard what sounded like stomping, as if someone was storming up the stairs, so i kept myself near the door, just so i could listen in and get ready to defend the kids and myself from anyone that was storming up the stairs. Then... " Bernadette stopped herself, looking down at the ground again, her eyes welling up with tears.

Quasimodo couldn't believe what he was hearing, he didn't really know how to express any other emotion other then pure and raw despair, his children were gone, and he wasn't there to protect them or try to help them...

He believed it was all his fault.

" then, just like that... Bam! The door flung open and i was sent flying onto the floor, which knocked the wind out of my lungs and made my hearing aids ring like crazy. Phœbus and some other people stormed in, they all had knives and shit like that. One of his men climbed on top of me and began beating me senseless, i tried to fight him off, i tried with everything i had, all the while.. the other people meanwhile, they grabbed the quadruplets and ran off with them. Those poor little babies... they all were squirming around and struggling to the best of their abilities, their wails were echoing off the bells... " Bernadette finished as she began to cry again.

Quasimodo and Esmeralda looked at each other, completely oblivious to the fact that Clopin was standing next to them, panting heavily, his hands limp by his side, his black leather gloves slightly torn and had small droplets of blood on them from how hard he had beaten Phœbus, who was now limping himself to his house, which wasn't that far from Notre dame itself.

Suddenly, a voice called out among all the chaos that was going on:

" Phœbus de Châteaupers! Pouvez-vous m'aider? " The voice was feminine sounding, yet the tone sounded like whomever was speaking was afraid, and the group all knew who this voice belonged to.

The voice belonged to Phœbus de Châteaupers wife, or rather, his cousin: Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier. She was once a cold and rude woman, but after Phœbus forced her to marry him, she became rather hidden away, she rarely ever said anything anymore. But everyone always remembered that her voice was either sometimes cold and demeaning or it could also be soft and gentle, there was no in between.

" Phœbus de Châteaupers! Pouvez-vous m'aider? " Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier called out once more as she slowly stepped forward to where Notre Dame was. Her hair was blonde and was cut in a very poor manner, everything seemed uneven on her. Her nightdress was torn in on the edges and on the sides, there were unidentified stains all over it, some suspected the stains were from beer.

Clopin was the first to turn and face Fleur-De-Lys de Gondelaurier, and one he did, he felt his rage subside as his body became numb, before that numbness was replaced by grief once again as he simply said " Oh my god... " in a hushed voice as he panted slightly before he ran over to where Fleur-De-Lys was standing.

Then, suddenly, familiar voices filled the air making Esmeralda and Quasimodo perk up.

" le père! le père! la mère! la mère!" the high pitched voices made Esmeralda and Quasimodo practically snap their heads around, where they felt themselves well up with tears.

There, standing along Fleur-De-Lys, were the couple's quadruplets. The poor little babies all looked petrified out of their little minds.

Micheal was standing next to Fleur-De-Lys, his hair seemed wild and feathered out, his little face was covered in scratches and tear stains.

Charlotte was being held by Fleur-De-Lys, her small dress was all torn and ripped up, her blind eye had a cut just above it and snot was staining her ruined dress.

Felix was struggling to stand, his small hands balled into fist as he clenched onto Clopin's leg. He had a cut on his leg and his small fingers seemed to be bruised.

Jade was leaning on Felix for support, her right leg seemed a bit more elevated off the ground, as if she didn't want to stand on it or she would be in distress.

Once all the toddlers had seen their parents and once the parents had seen their precious children, nobody could stop the tears as they all ran towards each other, crying out of pure joy as they were all hugging one another. 

Through her cries, Esmeralda looked up at Fleur-De-Lys, whom was looking away, probably out of fear because Phœbus was still at the scene, bloodied, beaten, and seemingly fuming mad. But Fleur-De-Lys didn't seem to care, as she was much more focused on keeping the couple and their kids away from him, as she didn't want Phœbus to even step an inch near them.

" I can't believe you, why would you do this? " Fleur-De-lys asked, her eyebrows furrowing in anger " Are you really this cruel that you try to separate a family all because you find Esmeralda enticing and you wanna be with her?! "

Phœbus scowled at Fleur, wiping his nose clean of blood " Why do you seem to care so much? " His tone seemingly deranged " I can't believe you're standing up for this enticing temptress and this... creature! "

Fleur-De-Lys turned a blind eye to Phœbus as she helped the family make their way back into their house, which was a enormous wreck. Broken glass all over the kitchen floor, blood on the floor, hair on the floor that had been clearly pulled out, and furniture seemed to be knocked over.

After calming everyone down, Fleur-De-Lys and Clopin helped the family clean everything up and they even offered to replace any furniture that was broken or damaged, to which the family agreed.

Finally, everything had calmed down, at least...For now.