Only Skin Deep

Chance

A face flushed with worry. Pale grey eyes, bright and anxious. The face was familiar; but at the same time, completely new. Belle struggled to sit up, feeling completely drained. A voice was breaking through the haze, sounding as though it was being spoken far, far away.

“Belle… Belle?”

She shook her head groggily and peered up at the face, now smiling broadly… displaying a set of perfectly straight, smooth teeth.

“That was very, very stupid of you,” the voice came again, excitement and caution mingling together within it.  “I didn’t know if… if you…”

Belle’s eyes grew large in disbelief. She reached out a hand to gently cup the face that was swimming more clearly into view.

“Alexander?!”

Alexander let out a strangled kind of laugh and pulled Belle close until she was cradled against his body. She felt the gentle thump, thump, thump of his heartbeat against her chest.

“But you’re…” Belle trailed off, pulling away to stare sceptically into the face she thought she knew so well. Alexander’s once deathly pallor was replaced with a warm glow, his endlessly black eyes now a crystal grey.

“Free,” Alexander sighed. He smiled down at Belle, dipping his head down towards hers…

THUMP

“Hey!” Alexander yelped, springing away and staring in shock at Belle’s glowering face.

“That,” she declared, struggling weakly to her feet, “was for scaring me half to death.”

“Half to death is right…” Alexander muttered, rubbing the bruise blossoming on his arm where Belle had punched him. “Do you not think I was worried too? What were you playing at?”

“I was playing at saving your life!” Belle gestured over towards the balcony. “Going out in daylight? Are you mad?”

“Am I mad?” Alexander snatched up Belle’s wrist and held it in her line of vision. She winced and staggered back as his fingers brushed against the raw wound, no longer bleeding but still tender. Alexander’s grip loosened immediately, the annoyance falling from his face as he reached out a hand to steady her.

Belle sighed, her body going slack with exhaustion. “What were you thinking…” she murmured, bowing her head to rest in on Alexander’s chest.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispered, lowering Belle’s wrist. He reached out to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen in front of Belle’s face. “Again.”

“I think you almost did,” Belle laughed nervously, lifting her head to examine Alexander’s face once more. “What happened? How did you…” She waved her hand vaguely over Alexander. “… change?”

Alexander tipped his head to one side, in a beautifully familiar gesture. “It was so long ago now. I’d tried to make myself forget… I wasn’t always that creature. A curse was placed upon me, a curse than only a sacrifice could break.”. “My sacrifice… and yours,” he finished, holding her closer. “You saved me, Belle.”

“Just repaying the favour,” Belle smiled, leaning in to him and winding her arms around his shoulders. “Would you like to take your first walk in the sunshine?”

Alexander grinned widely and dipped his head so that his lips just brushed against Belle’s. “Maybe later…”