I Feel Like A Monster

Chapter 21

-Woodlands; Beauty and Beast's Apartment (Noon)-

Bigby got off the elevator and approached the apartment. He heard Beauty and Beasts voices; from the sound of it they were both arguing, most likely about Beast finding out where Beauty had worked either that or something else entirely. In all honesty he didn't care; the only thing he had to focus was finding the Crooked Man. He knocked on the door; the voices inside ceased.

After but a few moments, the door opened slightly and it was revealed to be Beauty's husband, Beast.

"What do you want?" Beast asked with a glare.

"You called right?" Bigby replied, "Or was it Beauty?"

Beast said to him, "Why would I call you?"

Bigby couldn't help but let out a sigh, "Listen, I've had a shitty night..."

"You think you're the only one?" He said to the sheriff.

"And I really don't wanna deal with the runaround. Snow said you called and wanted to talk to me."

"Well I didn't call you. Must've been Beauty. She's been... surprising me a lot lately."

"Listen can I just--"

"And so have you Bigby. Yet with all this sneaking around and secrets, somehow, I'm still the bad guy in this. I've had to hear it all night long from her." Bigby soon Beauty's voice calling out to Beast, "Who is it Beast? Who's at the door? Is that Garry & Ib?"

Bigby had said to Beast, "Are you gonna let me in or what?"

Beast said nothing to him. He just shut the door and Bigby heard him remove the lock. He opened the door again and Bigby walked inside.

"It's not Garry or Ib." Beast said to Beauty, "It's your pal, Bigby."

"Hi Bigby." She said to him, "Could you excuse us for just a minute?"

Beauty and Beast stepped into the other room, shutting the door behind them. Bigby stepped further into the room surprised to see how nice the apartment was. Just by looking at the luxury sofa, a beautiful painting and many books and drapes, you could swear it was a part of a castle once. "Hm, I guess I really do have the smallest apartment in the Woodlands." Bigby couldn't help but say aloud.

He noticed that Garry and Ib were nowhere to be seen. He couldn't help but wonder where they ran off too. Maybe they didn't want to hear their parents argue he thought to himself. He knew for a fact that neither Ib or Garry never liked to see their parents fight, so they would either do two things; Give them some space or convince them to stop arguing.

Although given the situation, he wouldn't be surprised if they went with the first option.

After what almost seemed like forever, Beauty and Beast emerged from the other room, finishing up their conversation. "Sorry." Beauty said to him, "It's been a long night."

"Yeah." Beast said, "You know what they say, centuries of marriage come with centuries of baggage."

Bigby took another around the apartment, "I gotta say, your place looks... Expensive." He said to them.

"What do you mean by that?" Beast asked him.

"Beast--" Beauty was about to say before Beast cut her off.

"No, really I wanna know." Beast said, "What are you trying to say, huh? Did you come to give us decorating tips?"

Bigby turned to them, "I thought you were having money problems. But it doesn't look like your suffering to me."