Love Is Never Ugly

Chapter 42

Dark. Everything was so dark. Dark and cold. That 's what Charlotte's mind had confined her to for a very long time. A place of darkness and freezing cold. She didn't understand what had happened. She didn't know where she was. She couldn't move, she couldn't think, she was just numb. It scared her but at the same time she couldn't react with fear.

Then images from her nightmare came flooding back and it was enough to get her to open her eyes. She couldn't see. There was still darkness. Her first instinct was to get up from wherever she was and run but something kept her in place. There were arms wrapped securely around her and her back was pressed to another body.

"No! No please!" She whimpered. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Shh." A gentle voice hushed in her ear when she whimpered. "You're safe now my beauty. There's no need to be frightened."

Her mind was so foggy and she still had yet to put together where she was or what was happening but her fear vanished as soon as she heard that voice and became aware of the warmth surrounding her.

"Go back to sleep my fairest rose." The voice continued. "Nothing and no one can harm you as long as I am here. I will always keep you safe and warm."

The figure's warmth caused her to become drowsy again. Her eyes closed and she allowed her body to cave into slumber. She felt a pair of lips pressing feather like kisses onto her and it soothed her deeper back into sleep. She felt so loved in that moment. More loved than she had ever felt in her entire life. She wasn't sure what this was but she hoped that it would never end.

...
Even wrapped up in blankets and lying near a burning fireplace, Charlotte still shivered terribly. It made Alastor's concern for her and his fear of her dying from hypothermia increase. He became desperate to eliminate any form of cold she could be feeling. So desperate that he crawled  into the bed and lay himself next to her, slowly cuddling up to her and using his body heat to warm her.

He had almost lost her. The woman who had changed his life in ways that he never thought possible. The woman who had been so kind to him and was always trying to help him do better. The woman who actually cared if he lived or he died. If he was happy or in pain. She cared for him so much. What would he have done if he hadn't of woken up and seen her leaving? What would he have done if she fallen through that ice and died?

He gazed up her sleeping face. She was so beautiful. So lovely. So perfect. He couldn't help himself. He kissed her forehead first. Then he kissed her hair. He kissed the back of her neck, he kissed her cheeks, he kissed her eye lids yet he didn't kiss her lips. When she stirred he used his kisses and hushed words to soothe her.

"You will never know how frightened I was dear." He whispered after she fell asleep again. "When I saw you fall through the ice I felt as if I couldn't breathe. The only thing going through my mind was what would happen if you had drowned or froze to death."

His claws slowly brushed strands of wet hair from her head before he planted another kiss in that spot.

"I can't lose you Charlotte." He kissed her cheek. "I just can't. If I did then I...I...I...Oh Charlotte don't ever leave me. Stay with me always my love."

It wasn't until he said those last two words that he finally realized what he was doing. Wait a minute, what was he doing? Kissing her? Whispering sweet nothings to her? Calling her, his love? Love? No. No this couldn't be what this was. Could it?

He thought about pulling away from her and getting out of bed but found that he couldn't. Not until she felt better or woke up to tell him to leave. He was so confused, so scared, and so tired. He needed sleep just as much as she did. He would think more on his feelings later. Once Charlotte recovered.

When he finally drifted off, the nightingale who had awakened him earlier flew in and changed to take the form of Rosie. She quietly stepped over to the bed and noticed that only Charlotte was covered by blankets while Alastor was completely bare.

"Just like your mother."  She chuckled softly. "Always putting the well being of the one you love before your own. Took me years to understand that way of thinking."

She made a blanket appear in her hands and draped it over her nephew.

"It's strange." She continued. "Twenty-three years ago, I was so sure that Marie was the foolish one because she had learned to love and care for others. But in truth she was the wisest of all three of us. My naive little sister ended up knowing more about the world than myself or Katie ever would."

She then looked at Charlotte.

"You remind me a lot of her too. The way you just give love and compassion to everyone you meet. I know that if anyone can help him it'll be you. I knew you would see his suffering and try to heal his pain. I'm very grateful to you for that."

However Rosie knew that she wasn't the only one who had noticed the kind of power Charlotte had. Katie had noticed it as well. That's why the wicked woman had tired to lead the innocent maiden to an icy death. It was because she sensed that the spell was unraveling and it would continue to unravel as long as Charlotte was there. No doubt Katie would continue to try to interfere so it was up to Rosie to ensure that her interferences were stopped.

She gave the beast and the beauty one last look before she turned herself back into a nightingale and flew away into the night.