Chapter five: Too good to be true?

Avenant regained his composure from their laughing and helped Claudia off the floor. They had been laughing so long that they had forgotten what it was that had been so funny.

Something about LeFou perhaps.

Claudia sighed and then remembering a previous statement of hers, she crept in closely to Avenant and then her heart began to speed up.

"Um, actually dear there's something I think I should tell you..." She began.

Avenant was deeply disturbed by the sudden closeness between them and he stammered out something unintelligible before backing away.

What was she doing? Wasn't she the one who WASN'T out to sexually harass him?
Was he wrong?

He cocked his brow and smiled, nervously.

"Please don't let this be about me Claudia." He whispered hoping dearly that is wasn't.
He had had enough ridiculous amounts of humiliation today.

She paused in confusion, but then after examining his face she rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

"You're so immature sometimes. As if I would be out to claim you for my own! You're not my type, and you never will be after that big mistake I made with Gas-stupid, okay?" She assured him.

He sighed in relief with and then chuckled in a kind of high pitched uncharacteristic way.

"Okay, never mind then, go on..." He whispered.

At about this time LeFou had successfully tracked down the duo and was creeping up to the door. The odd chuckled caused him to have to hold back a few sniggers but he did.
He tiptoed up to the coop and then standing on his toes with his ear to the boarded up window he listened...

"Oh... I'm not so sure if I should tell you now... You mightn't even take me seriously!" A sweet female voice sighed. The process of elimination left LeFou with two options...

This was either one of the triplets or the princess whom Avenant was conversing with and judging by the surroundings it was pretty obvious which one it had to be.

"Oh come one Claudia! You can trust me with anything! I promise I won't laugh and I promise I'll believe you." He replied, sounding strangely gentle with her. He had never imagined that he would be so gentlemanly ... He was clearly putting on an act or something.

"Okay, okay fine...here goes nothing." She took a large breath.

(Back inside the coop)

Claudia looked at Avevant knowing full well that he would laugh anyway even if he didn't mean to hurt her. LeFou was causing him trouble, and she was FAR more than willing to lure the little man away from him to give him some peace... But how to convey that to him?

"I... I love him." She said in a tiny breathless whisper. Heart beats in her chest had returned to normal and she was able to breathe. She took a deep breath and then sighed dramatically, clasping her hands together and cocking her head to the side, her gaze wandering into the great-wide-somewhere for a moment or two.

He stared at her, not sure who she was talking about. His facial features twisted into a confused grin and he rubbed the back of his head feeling like an idiot.

It took a while for him to speak up as he was waiting for HER to tell HIM.

LeFou was equally confused. Love who? Who could this guy possibly be? What man was lucky enough to have caught the attention of the beautiful, angelic Claudia? His guts churned with despair as he recalled his idiocy from earlier...

That look on her face, and that airy quality to her voice, and that giggle that wouldn't leave his mind. Being love stricken she had surely forgotten who exactly he was and had consequentially forgotten that she was supposed to treat him badly.

It had been so obviously. Holding back a shaky sigh, he leant up to the window and the peeked in through the cracks.

There was Claudia dreamy as ever, looking off into space unaware of the confused and slowly becoming irritated man before her, who was obviously totally lost.

"Um... Love who? What guy are you talking about? I have no clue!" He spoke up finally.

LeFou held his breath... Here it came. The name of the guy who he could never ever match up to, in any way shape or form.

He skidded silently to the door to get a better view and hear them more clearly.

Claudia paused her daydreaming for a split second before realising with a bit of shock that he actually had no clue as to whom she was speaking of.

"Well, DUH," she said, rolling her eyes and placing her hands on her hips.

"The only guy we've been talking about this whole time! He's short, funny looking, follows you around everywhere as of about an hour ago, we just laughed our heads off about him merely minutes ago?" She cried silently, completing her description animatedly with swooping hand movements and some form of hand made visuals that resembled height indication and clumsiness.

Both men stared at her, one in complete confusion and slight horror at her description and the other in complete dumbfounded awe at the similarities mentioned between himself and her description...

Could it be? No... Of course not... LeFou thought, scolding himself for getting his hopes up foolishly.

Claudia continued to stare knives through her suddenly simple minded companion.

There was a painstaking silence and then with an exasperated groan she finally exclaimed,

"LeFou! You idiot! I love him! I want to take him off your hands, because I LOVE HIM!"

She panted for breath and then slapped her hand over her mouth...had anyone else heard that?

Then before either of them could worry about what her sisters may or may not have heard... A slam of the door flying open made them both jump and shriek/shout in horror.

But the one in the doorway was not whom they had expected.

Staring at the ground, with a stone hard face, shaking slightly and watery at the eyes the shorter figure slowly made his way into the coop.

Before he could take more than three steps, his lips twitched into an almost impossible smile and he slowly lifted his head almost fearing to meet Claudia's gaze...

"You..." He whispered...
"You... Do?" He finally met her eyes and immediately the tears basically fell from his eyes. Feelings of impossible love and disbelief crashed into him and he was utterly dazed and ecstatic as the realisation of those few little words really sunk in. It was true. It was real. She loved him...

Claudia's heart beating faster then was surely healthy, she fell to her knees, unable to hold herself up. Her lips mimicked his grin and she tried to speak, but nothing came out. She couldn't believe it... She had finally said it! After all the pain and tedium of that afternoon it had all ended so simply and so easily... And there she was thinking that she would have to struggle to tell him! Thank fate that he had been eavesdropping... Thank fate that he should have followed Avenant here! She was so relieved.

He dared to step forward, and then within the next two seconds he was pinned to the ground as she suddenly leapt onto him, clutching him in a tight embrace.

There were no words that needed to be said.

Avenant was frozen with shock and stared at the odd spectacle wondering what the heck was going to happen next... No offence to them or anything but this was a bit creepy to him.

"O-okay guys... Um... I... I have a function to attend... And I uh... GOODBYE!" He shouted, before bolting out the door and slamming it shut, probably for EVERYONE'S benefit.

Nonetheless it did nothing to disrupt the slowly forming bud of affection back inside.

All they really could do in their shock was hold each other, not sure if this was real. Their hearts matched each other in pace, and they sat and took in the moment, letting their crying and heartbeats make the only noises. Finally, Claudia pulled away to look at his face. She tried to hold it back but it was futile. She cracked up laughing as he looked especially silly blubbering like an idiot.

She shushed him and then drew back, letting him have some room as she tried to soothe him. He finally regained his composure and then stared at her in adoration. He chuckled nervously and smiled...

"Well that was unexpected..." He muttered sheepishly. A deep blush crept along his face and he grinned again, rubbing the back of his head. He averted his eyes from hers and tried to take in what had just happened.

Claudia simply admired him as he sat there so cute and innocent as if he didn't believe it one bit. She didn't blame him as she herself was fining it hard to believe.

She knew what would make him believe it, she grinned deviously. Taking his hands in hers, she didn't even care about thinking anymore. There was nothing to think about this time.

He sucked in a big breath wondering what she was doing!

Their sweet, precious moment however was about to abruptly end.

From the house Laura and Paula jolted in shock at the sound of muffled shouting. Was it Claudia?

"Claudia?" Paula called from the sink. There was no answer. This was very unnerving as there were wild animals and bad people out and about in these woods and ever since moving here they had been sure to keep and eye out for each other beyond all costs.

Laura got up and looked around the house... She checked the living room, her bed and the washrooms but she wasn't there. She returned to the kitchen where Paula had been looking and then they both stared at each other worried.

"Where could she be? I could have sworn that was a scream or something!" Laura whispered, panicking a little. They strained to hear another cry but none came... It had sounded as if it had come from... Outside...

"The chicken coop!" They cried. They grabbed a frying pan and then raced out to the chicken coop, ready to beat the crap out of whatever or whoever was harming their sister.

They skidded to a halt as Avenant ran into them violently crashing into a tree as he tried to avoid them. They both raced over and caught him together before he fell.

They helped him up and then they stared at each other and then him again.

"What's up with Claudia? She was shouting!" Paula asked...

Avenants eyes widened and he gulped nervously... He couldn't let Claudia be destroyed... He could NOT let her be caught so vulnerable like that...

It was at times like this when he really wished that these girls would grow up and start living separately like everyone else their age. It was ridiculous that these fully grown, ageing women were still acting like little girls and sharing a home as if they couldn't live by themselves yet.

If they lived on their own, he'd be dire to visit Claudia more often without this happening. Eventually he sighed and with a heavy roll of his eyes, he for once was lost for a good lie and he came up with the only excuse he could.

"She was yelling at me!" He stated.

They stared at him...

"What?!" They cried in unison. This was a ridiculous notion! Claudia and Avenant were the closest of friends as far as they knew and it even enraged them to know that their own sister had been so close with the one they secretly adored.

"Ugh, she was angry at me for being late to the royal function! Okay? I was wasting my time talking to her! Now let me go! I need to get ready!" He shouted.

Paula immediately backed away understating the importance of meeting deadlines and being punctual ESPECIALLY for him, being a new prince and all.

Laura followed suit and then as soon as Avenant left they ran to the coop.

So much for trying to keep them away from Claudia...

They burst into the little wooden coop and then they nearly died.

There on the floor only inches away from kissing their beloved virginal sister was the most hideous, devious freak they had ever seen in their lives!

There was a terrible awkward pause as the two on the floor sat there, their lips only slightly pursed and pale in the face, and the deep gut feeling of impending doom washed over them before they both snapped back into reality and pulled away from each other grinning sheepishly.

The two in the doorway stared with their eyes wide and their jaws obnoxiously agape as they witnessed this shocking display. They then bared their teeth and growled irritably at the man on the floor whom they finally recognised as ... him...

There was a spine tingling pause and the air was unbearable before finally someone acted.

"Aaaaaaaah! Get away from her you pervert!" Laura screamed, yanking up her frying pan and promptly pounding him over the head, back and backside several times.

"Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! You sick animal! Aaaaaaaah" Paula joined in pushing her sister aside and yanking the man up by his collar with both hands and then shaking him fiercely before throwing him out the door and straight into a puddle of mud.

The door of the chicken coop slammed shut and they barricaded it. They then rush over to their clearly upset sister.

The reaction they were expecting was not what met them with.

Claudia stood up before either of them could speak and then slapped them both across the faces.

They stared at her in shock, their cheeks burning from the violent attack.

Bursting into tears, Claudia fell to the floor and buried her face into her dress. They backed away and then decided that she was just in shock and wasn't coping well. They left the coop, totally oblivious to the true reason they had upset her so.

LeFou watched them hurry back to the house and then sighed defeated. He got up and then left the forest the way he came although he was very disoriented. His heart was broken and he doubted he would ever see her again after that. He didn't even get a kiss goodbye.

Figures. It was too good to be true.