The Beau & the Beast

49 - A Plan

-Belmont-

I strolled into the familiar room, usually it felt airy and bright but today it was full of people and I felt trapped in a way.

Lumiere had called everyone to a meeting but it was Clocksworth who stood at the center of attention. I was struck by my love for him when I saw him. He radiated leadership and confidence as he stood in the middle of the room with his eyes down on the desk and a cigar in the corner of his mouth.

Behind him was a large whiteboard with pictures of various vampires and a sketch of a house and its surroundings.  It struck me that it was a racetrack and no ordinary villa as I'd thought.

Most of our men had already gathered in the room and I looked around before I sat down on the edge of the desk and immediately felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ready for this?" He whispered softly in my ear and I glanced up at him with a gravely serious face.

"No."

"Think positive Bel, when it's over we'll leave."

I nodded briefly and kissed the top of his hand while letting my eyes slide over everyone gathered in the room.

Lumiere sat obliquely behind Clock in a large armchair, completely in his own world and wrote small notes in a book with Marianne resting with one leg on his armrest.  She looked restless and bored and I still didn't understand how they could be a couple, they were so completely different.

My eyes wandered to Roch who was leaning against the wall in the back of the room, he looked grim and stood with his arms crossed as usual.  But he gave me a small nod when our eyes met.
He was so different now, I thought to myself.  Once upon a time I had really hated him, but now he was a rock and one of those guys I trusted most of all.  He had always been there for us and that made him special.

Last of all, Masson stepped into the room with Dominic behind him.  The young short vampire stopped in front of the map and studied it with interest and with his usual wide smile on his face.

"You're enjoying this a little too much."  I laughed but only got an even wider grin in response.

"Long live the revolution!"  He laughed and pounded me in the back.  But Dominic did not look as amused and I suspected that he took life a little more seriously than his boss.

"Keep an eye on him Nico."

"Always," his answer did not surprise me, however, I was not prepared for the smile I received.

There was only one person left in the room, but I didn't want to look at him. Gaston.

I still had mixed feelings for him and for what happened between us.  But most of all I wanted to kill the idiot, who the hell did he think he was?

Six years ago I had done everything to get his attention, I would have killed for him to see me.  I had done everything he asked of me but had always gotten into trouble in the end.  So when I refused to do as he said, for Dad's sake, all hell had broken loose.

What did that kiss really mean to him?  And how the hell did he even dare to do that? After all that Clock had done for him and as he finally had earned some respect.

My thoughts spun and I had a hard time accepting his role in all this.
But annoyingly enough, I had noticed how he had actually changed and I was pissed at myself for allowing him to get closer and we had actually been talking like normal friends lately.

Had I encouraged him?  But how the hell could I have known he felt that way?  He had been the biggest pain of my life. Was all this a sick joke to him?
I glanced at the man and he met my gaze steadily, as if he knew what I was thinking.
Theo will kill you, I thought and I told myself to sort everything out after the party. When everything was over.