Beauty and the Beast
SUMMARY:
This is a somewhat modernized version of "La Belle et la Bete" (Beauty & The Beast), the Madam
Prince de Beaumont version from 1756. Ain't no
Disney business (though I do love that version). WARNINGS: If schmaltzy
fairy tales ain't your
thing, move along.
NOTES: This is my submission to the MST
Anniversary Challenge - adapting a fairy tale to Brian and Justin. The
only characters from the show herein are Brian, Justin, and Craig (for obvious
reasons). Craig is not the bastard we met in Season 1. This bloody
thing practically wrote itself, and any errors are my
own.
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Craig Taylor was a huge name in the Society Hill district of
Philadelphia. As
He had six children - three sons and three daughters, who all attended the
finest universities in the country. His favorite was his son Justin, a
graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts. At first Craig was
concerned about Justin wanting to be an artist, but knew he could afford to
indulge his beautiful son's dream.
As a small boy, Justin Taylor was nicknamed "Beauty" by those in the
country club. Many continue to call him that to this day, though he
prefers to hear his
real name. He was the envy of his brothers for this alone.
When it came to mental prowess, Justin far surpassed his brothers' abilities.
He finished his studies in half the time it took them. His brothers
decided to follow their father into the family business, and bragged about
their wealth often. Justin's brothers were such snobs that they only
befriended those in high society. They went to celebrity parties and were
pictured in the local rags with one socialite or another. They found
Justin's desire to paint and read laughable, and teased him often.
Many business magnates in
A financial crisis hit the nation within a few years, and the stock market
plummeted. Many businesses were hurt or destroyed as
a result,
Justin was such a sweet, loving, gentle soul who won the hearts of Society
Hill, so of course the loss of fortune caused their neighbors great concern.
Justin cared for the community, even the poor. A lot of women would
have married him, lack of wealth notwithstanding; but not only was he gay,
he believed his duty was to remain at his father's side during this crisis.
He was as unhappy as the others about their dire straits, but refused to
wail and moan about it; he believed that sort of behavior was non-productive.
He chose to try happiness as a poor young man.
Upon arrival at their new home, the sons took care of the grounds. Justin
rose early every day to cook and clean. He thought it was drudgery at
first, since he was accustomed to having housekeepers around; but as time
passed, it became as natural as breathing. He would go into his room and
paint after finishing his chores every evening.
Justin's brothers had no idea what to do now that they had all this idle time.
They'd sleep in late, get up and lounge around the house complaining about
being broke. They'd also complain about Justin and how complacent he'd
become in light of their changed status.
"How can Justin stand being broke? He's so stupid," they'd say.
Craig knew Justin was far stronger than his other sons gave him credit for, and thought highly of his humility and work ethic.
Even more admirable was Justin's patience. With his brothers
insulting him at every turn and not helping around the house, it was certainly
a trial by fire. Craig wondered how Justin was able to keep his temper in
check.
A year into their new living existence, Craig got a call from an old colleague.
Apparently there was a business opportunity in
"Justin, do you want anything," Craig asked.
"Well, since you insist - just bring me a rose. They don't grow
here, and it would be nice to see one for once," Justin said. He
didn't really want anything,
but he was sick of appearing weird to his brothers.
In
broke than before. With a heavy heart, he drove toward his new
home.
As he drove, he ran into a heavy thunderstorm with high winds and freezing rain
turning into snow. He feared he wouldn't make it home alive.
Luckily he spotted some light shining from a private road, and drove down
it. When he arrived at the property, it was a huge mansion in his old
neighborhood, lit from top to bottom. He'd never noticed the estate
before, but it could be shelter for a night at least. He parked his
car, and headed toward the house.
Craig entered the huge foyer, and walked toward the formal dining room.
One place setting, piled with the evening's meal, sat on the long table.
Craig decided he'd wait until someone showed up to eat it, and ask about
staying the night. At
Feeling a little bold after the wine, Craig decided to wander through the
house. He found a master suite set up for the night. The bed looked
so inviting, and
Craig was so exhausted, he closed the door and crashed out. At ten the next
morning, Craig woke up and stretched. He looked over, and saw a pair
of wool slacks and a cashmere sweater draped across the window seat. He
wondered if there was some angel out there helping him out, or if he was losing
his mind. He looked out the bedroom window, and saw the beautifully
landscaped grounds peppered with gorgeous flowers and trees.
He headed downstairs to the dining room, and saw a cup of coffee and a bagel in the same spot the
dinner lie the night before. "Thank you, whomever you are," he said out loud. He
drank the coffee, and then returned to his car. He remembered that Justin wanted
a rose, and grabbed a stem off a nearby bush.
At that point he heard a roar, and a huge beast bounded toward him. Craig
nearly fainted.
"You ungrateful bastard," the beast roared. "I save your
ass from freezing, and you steal from me! I'm giving you fifteen minutes
to pray before I slit your
throat." Craig fell to his knees and gazed beseechingly at the
monster. "Please forgive me, kind sir - I have this son in
"I have no use for false flattery," the beast said angrily.
"If you're sincere, I'll let you slide on one condition: one of your
sons must come back of his own free
will to suffer in your place. Just do your business, and if none of your
sons agree to come back in your place, you have to come back in three
months."
Craig wasn't planning on sacrificing one of his sons to this creature, but on
the bright side, at least he could see them again before he died. He
promised to
come back, but the beast told him to stay as long as he needed. "In the
top drawer in your room is a bundle of hundreds. Take what you need for
the trip home, and I'll send the rest."
Craig breathed a sigh of relief. At least in death he could provide for
his children again. He grabbed two hundreds and pocketed them, left the
house and drove home.
Once he got home, his sons ran up to greet him, and stopped short when they saw
the tears in his eyes. "I have some good news, and some bad
news," Craig
said. He relayed the whole situation with the beast, and handed Justin
his rose. "Here's your rose, Justin - I never thought it would cost
me my life, though."
"You stupid idiot," Justin's brothers cried. "You couldn't
ask for something practical, could you? You
had to ask for a stupid rose, and now Dad's gonna die
because of you. And you aren't even crying about it!"
"Why should I," Justin said, "When I've already decided to go to
the beast's mansion and die in Dad's place?"
"Forget that - we'll go find him and kill him, or die trying," his
oldest brother said.
Craig silenced his sons and said, "You can't kill him - you're no match
for him. Justin, as grateful as I am that you're willing to sacrifice yourself,
there's no need. I haven't got that many years left, so there isn't much
for me to lose."
"Dad," Justin said. "You're taking me to Society Hill, and
that's final." Secretly his brothers were happy "the little
princess," as they called him, would be gone, and didn't argue any
further.
Craig was so upset about losing Justin that he nearly forgot about the money.
When he entered his bedroom, the remaining bills sat on his bedside
table.
He decided to keep it a secret from his children. He knew his elder sons,
it least, would hightail it back to Society Hill faster than the money could
hold
them. The only person he trusted with his secret was Justin, who told him about
their visitors. Apparently a couple of men came earlier that day to ask
for their sisters' hands in marriage. Justin asked Craig to okay the unions, and the men returned, feigning tears of joy as they
whisked the sisters away.
Justin and Craig drove together to Society Hill, and parked in the private
drive of the beast's mansion. Craig led Justin inside to the dining room,
where
they saw two place settings this time. Craig was too nervous to eat, but Justin
told him not to deny their malevolent host's hospitality. That convinced
him to sit and dine with Justin. Justin figured the beast wanted to fatten him
up before making dinner out of him, but didn't tell Craig his thoughts,
preferring instead to put up a cheerful front.
As they dined they heard the roar indicating the beast's arrival. Craig
tearfully bid Justin farewell. Justin panicked for a moment when he saw
the creature,
and quickly masked his fear. The beast asked, "Did you come here
willingly?" Justin could only nod his assent.
"Good," the beast answered. Looking over to Craig he said,
"You did well - this is a fine one. You can leave in the morning,
but don't even think about
coming back." Craig hugged Justin, and the beast
left the room. "Justin," Craig said tearfully. "You
go home, and I'll stay here."
"No, Dad," Justin said. "A deal is a deal. I'm
staying - you go home tomorrow, and I'll stay here. It's the way it should
be."
Father and son went to bed. As he slept, Justin dreamed that a woman came
to him and said, "I'm convinced your sacrifice will not go without
reward."
The next morning Justin woke and told his father about the dream. It
brought little comfort to Craig, who wept as he left the mansion.
Justin waited until the car drove out of sight, and cried. He was
convinced he would die that night, and had no means to escape. His only
option was to
resign himself to his fate. He decided to go for a walk and check out the house
and grounds, or his "gallows" as he called it. It was a
gorgeous Colonial mansion. It was clearly part of old
would use. Justin came up to a door that had a sign: "Justin's
Apartment."
He quickly entered the room and gaped. It was a gorgeous room, with
deep blue walls and dark blue upholstery and bedding. It was
beautiful and looked
rich, but still had a masculine appeal. Across the entryway was a library
stocked with books, with an easel and paint supplies in
the middle.
"Well damn," Justin said. "Guys on Death Row certainly
don't get these perks. I'm impressed." A little part of him wondered
if the beast planned to let him
live longer than a day, or if he wanted his final hours to be comfortable. He
grabbed a book, and trembled when he saw what was written inside:
"Welcome to my home. Don't be afraid. You run this place. Whatever
you want, whatever you wish, Is yours."
"I'd love to see my father, but I know he's probably at home
mourning," Justin said. The moment he uttered those words, he saw a
huge mirror in the
library. He could see his home, and his father returning, head bowed.
His brothers met him and played at grieving, but Justin could clearly
tell they didn't miss
him at all. Then the image faded. Justin couldn't understand why
the beast was being so kind, if he was planning to kill him.
Justin went down for lunch and heard music playing. It sounded like an
orchestra was performing within the home. He figured there was an
elaborate sound system installed like they had in their old mansion. He
kicked back and enjoyed the music as he ate, then went upstairs to paint.
At dinner, he heard the beast's signature roar, and tensed. 'I guess it's
time for me to die,' Justin thought.
"Justin," the beast said, "May I join you?"
"Do what you want," Justin said. He tried to make his voice
sound non-committal, but it came out shaky. The beast shook his head and
said, "You run this place, not me; if you want me gone, and can't bear to
face me, just say the word and I'll leave. Don't you find me
unattractive?"
"Well, yes," Justin said. "But you've been so kind -
there's a good heart in you."
"Maybe," the beast responded, deep in thought.
"Just eat and enjoy yourself. You have the run of the house. I
won't be happy if you're not."
"You're so kind, Beast."
"I'm still ugly."
"Sure, humans would think so, but there are some of us who are better
deserving of such a description. They may be beautiful on the outside,
but deep down they're hideous."
"Thanks, Justin. I owe you."
Justin ate nearly everything, and relaxed with a glass of wine beside the
monster. He nearly fainted when the beast asked, "Will you live here
as my partner?"
It took a while for Justin to answer. He didn't want to piss the beast
off by turning him down, but he had to. With a shaky voice he said,
"No." The beast sighed and let out a hiss that bounced off the
walls. Sadly he bid Justin goodnight and left the room, sneaking glances
as the beautiful young man.
'Who would have thought the beast was gay,' Justin wondered. He couldn't
believe it - of all the dumb luck. 'He's so sweet - it's a shame he's so
ugly.'
Three months passed, and Justin and the beast had settled into a routine. The
beast would visit him at nine every night, and they would discuss various
topics. The beast believed he was stupid, but Justin realized that
stemmed from his insecurity over his looks. In conversation he was quite
articulate and well
read. Justin had grown so used to him that the beast's appearance no
longer frightened him. He stopped dreading the beast's visits, and
instead began to check his watch to see if it was nine.
There was only one problem with their arrangement. Every evening the
beast would ask Justin to be his partner. Finally one day Justin said,
"I'm just happy
to be your friend. I wish I could say yes to you, but first of all, we
don't live in
"I guess that's all I can hope for in my circumstances. I'm glad
you're staying here at least; just promise not to leave me - I care too
much."
Justin lowered his eyes, unable to look the beast in the face. He saw in
the mirror how upset his dad was, and was desperate to see him. "I
could promise you that, but I would love to see my father one last time," Justin
said sadly.
"Fine - you can stay with him, and I'll die alone."
"Don't be a drama queen. Look - I'll take off for one week, long
enough to reassure my dad I'm okay, and come back. There's no one there
to hurt me -
my brothers and sisters are all married and living elsewhere. Dad's all
alone - just let me have one week with him."
"I'll send you there in the morning," the beast said. "But
don't forget you promised to come back. Whenever you want to come back
here, just take your ring off and lay it on your bedside table." The
beast loped to his suite, head down in dejection.
Justin woke up the next morning at his father's home, and frightened the maid.
The maid ran over to get his father, who came in and pulled him into his
arms.
They clung to each other, so grateful to see one another again, and then Craig
let him go so he could get dressed.
Justin thought he had nothing to wear, but he saw a Louis Vuitton suitcase by his bed. When he opened
it, there was a host of designer shirts and slacks,
and even shoes to match. Justin silently thanked his beast for the gift.
He grabbed a Prada
shirt, slacks, and shoes, and decided to give the rest to his
brothers. The suitcase and clothes vanished. He called in his
father, and Craig told him, "The beast only wants you to have those
clothes - no one else, not even your brothers." Once Justin
understood, the clothes and suitcase reappeared.
After dressing, Justin went to visit his brothers. They were both
unhappily married to two of the worst women he'd met. His oldest brother
married a
woman who made his personality appear compassionate in
comparison. The middle brother married a bitch that enjoyed making
other's lives miserable, especially him. They both seethed with envy at
the sight of Justin wearing such nice clothes and looking so stylish. The
glow of happiness surrounding him made them even more jealous. They made
their excuses to Justin and went in the oldest brother's study.
"Can you believe it? That jerk's doing better than we are," the
oldest brother said. "Let's keep him here another week; maybe the
beast will come and kill
him for breaking his promise." The other brother nodded, and they
pasted on fake smiles for their youngest brother.
The brothers went into hysterics once the end of the week came. They
begged Justin not to leave, and put on such a great performance that Justin
promised to
stay another week. That decision filled Justin with dread - what would
his beast think? In spite of everything, Justin did want to see the beast
again.
On the tenth night at his father's home, Justin dreamed he was back in the
garden at the beast's mansion. The beast lay on the grass, dying and
lambasting
Justin for being so ungracious and deceitful. This roused Justin out of
his sleep, and he burst into tears. He knew he was cruel for ignoring his
promise to
the beast. He knew he was better off at the mansion with him, than in
laid it on the bedside table.
He woke up in his apartment in Society Hill.Justin
dressed quickly, and waited for the clock to strike nine.
The beast didn't come.
Justin ran all over the mansion, crying out for the beast and begging his
forgiveness. 'I hope he isn't dead,' he thought. Remembering his
dream, he ran outside and found him laid out on the grass. Justin ran to
his side and checked for a pulse. He said a silent prayer of thanks - his
beast was alive. He got a coffee cup from the house, filled it with water, then
ran back out and tossed it over the beast's head.
The beast woke and said, "Why didn't you come back? You promised.
I went on a hunger strike. I guess I can die happy now - I got a
chance to see you
again." The beast laid his head back and closed his eyes.
Justin grabbed two fistfuls of the beast's jacket, and shook him.
"You're not dying on me, dammit!
I'm staying here - and you'd better live, because you're going to be my
partner. It's not the most ideal arrangement,
I assure you - but I do care about you, and I know I'll be happier here. What's
the point of staying in
No sooner had Justin made his declaration, than all the lights in the mansion
came on at once. Fireworks lit up the night sky, and the entire estate
was cast in a bright glow. Justin looked down, and saw a beautiful
hazel-eyed, auburn-haired man gazing back at him. Shock rendered Justin
speechless.
The woman who appeared in his earlier dream kneeled beside him. She said,
"Brian was the victim of a curse. Because he was a cold, heartless
bastard, a
gypsy turned him into a beast. The only way the spell could be broken was
for Brian to find his true love; a virgin who could see beyond the ugliness of
his
beastly appearance to the loving heart within."
"Thank you Justin," Brian said with a smile. "Thank you
for saving me. Let's go home." Justin helped Brian to his feet, and the threesome entered the
mansion. Justin gaped at the sight of his father and brothers in the
foyer.
"Justin," the woman began, "This all belongs to you now. You
were strong enough to see the beauty within, and are of such a strong
character yourself, that you've proven yourself worthy of having a partner like
yourself in Brian."
"As for the two of you," she continued, glaring at Justin's brothers,
"You've only proven that often outer beauty hides an evil spirit.
Since you've never said a single kind word for your brother, and are
lazy, greedy, selfish bastards, you're going to be statues outside of the
mansion. Until you can sincerely admit your faults, you will remain this
way for all eternity. I haven't much faith that you will ever change, so
mote it be."
The woman waved her wand, and a full staff appeared to help take care of the
mansion and grounds. Craig was given back the suite he slept in before. He
still wasn't too pleased that Justin would spend his life with another man, but
Brian was such a kind and giving person that he couldn't complain.
The three of them drove to
End.
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