Return to Notre Dame: chapter 3

Everyone met up in town square. Esmeralda and Phoebus turned and saw Cherry coming with Pierre.

"Hey Mom, hey Papa." Cherry greeted with a friendly smile. Cherry had a hard time adjusting to calling Phoebus her father, but was used to calling Esmeralda her mother. Mostly because she didn't grow up with her own mother.

"Who is this?" Phoebus asked, sounding stern.

"My name is Pierre, I have art class with Cherry." Pierre explained with a charming smile.

"So, this is Pierre," Esmeralda smiled. "We've heard so much about you."

"I know I have," Zephyr added.

Cherry narrowed her eyes at him, then looked up at Pierre. "This is Zephyr, he's my little brother."

"Ah, Zephyr... Funny..." Pierre turned to Cherry and looked at her adoptive parents. "You don't look much like your mother or father."

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you," Cherry apologized. "I was adopted. Phoebus and Esmeralda are my foster parents."

"Oh, I see." Pierre smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you all."

"Come on, come all!" a voice announced. Everyone turned to the stage seeing a man with dark skin and an outragous looking outfit with a mask. The cloth he had on looked like a Zebra with feathers. He juggled some balls as he said, "See juggling clowns," he then took out a magician hat and took out a pink rabbit. "Fire breathers and magic! And now, may I present the prettiest ornament on the midway...My assistant, Mad..." The man turned to see no one there on cue. "My assistant, Made..."

"It's empty!" a man in the crowd said.

"There's no one there!" a woman added.

"Well..." The man stammered. "Well, of course not! You have to come to the circus to see her!" The man rushed backstage. "Where is Madallaine?"

"Guess we'll have to see later on, guys." Cherry said as everyone began to leave.

"Suppose so, bye Cherry it was nice to see your family." Pierre waved.

"B-Bye Pierre..." Cherry weakly waved as her wrist popped. She giggled nervously, then spotted her foster-father staring her down.

"Cherry," Phoebus said in a stern voice. "I want you to be careful around that gentleman. I don't want you to get hurt or lose you."

"Yes Papa," Cherry agreed in an irritable tone.

"I don't want you to get hurt, don't you remember your life was in grave danger six years ago?"

"How could I forget?" Cherry sighed. "I'm okay now though. I'm 16 years old now and I can take care of myself. I'm not a little girl anymore."

"You'll always be Phoebus's little girl." Esmeralda wrapped her arms around Cherry's neck and looked down at her with a motherly smile. "You'll always be my baby too."

"What about me?" Zephyr looked up, jokingly.

"You're both my babies." Esmeralda giggled as she walked off with the rest of her family.

Cherry went in the bell tower to meet with Quasimodo to help him clean up. The place had been messy a little earlier due to Zephyr's playing. While they were together, Hugo, Laverne and Victor were looking down at something over the railing.

"Uh, hello?" a female voice called out.

"Damsel alert." Hugo grinned.

"And a very lovely vision at that," Victor agreed.

"What am I?" Laverne asked in irritation. "Chopped liver?"

"I-I'm looking for the bell-ringer," the female voice called out again.

"She wants you, Quasi." Cherry said with a teasing smirk.

"Get out there, sweetie." Laverne added.

"I-I-I can't," Quasimodo stammered. "What would I say?"

"Open your mouth, something will come out." Cherry advised.

"I-I-I..." Quasimodo stammered again.

"Nothing came out," Hugo deadpanned.

"My name is Madallaine. I-I'm with the circus," the female voice concluded, making Cherry look down at her. She was indeed beautiful. She had fair skin, with big baby blue eyes, ruby-red lips, short, frizzy blonde hair and wore a green dress with cream-colored sleeves. "And, oh, I just love bells. Which one is La Fidele?"

"She likes the bells," Cherry smiled at Quasimodo. "That'll give you two something to talk about."

"A-Are you hiding from me?" Madallaine asked as she noticed Quasimodo go under one of the bells. She then giggled a little bit before Quasimodo answered.

"No," Quasimodo said simply. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Madallaine chuckled, then looked up at the bell covering most of Quasimodo's body. "It's just... It looks like you're wearing a really big hat. Oh, that sounds silly doesn't it?"

"No," Quasimodo replied. "I just never looked at it that way before."

"Yes, it's a brass beret! A-A two ton topper!" Madallaine added.

"A-A chapeau in C-sharp!" Quasimodo chuckled.

Madallaine laughed slightly, but then she noticed different forms of laughter in which she had never heard before. She turned behind her and saw the three gargoyles as they quickly turned back into stone. "The gargoyles!" Madallaine cried, turning back.

"Gargoyles?" Quasimodo asked.

"Well, they were... They were alive!" Madallaine cried. "But that's dumb, isn't it?"

"No."

"You must think I'm stupid."

"Not at all, that means you have an imagination."

"Do you really think so?"

"I do."

"What's your name?"

"Quasimodo?"

"Well, Quasimodo... Wouldn't you like to come where I can see you?"

"I h-h-have to go," Quasimodo stammered again. "I'm sorry." He then tripped over and Madallaine saw his face. Due to his disfigured looks, Madallaine gasped and ran off hiding away from him looking at her. It saddened the gargoyles and Cherry.

"Oh, poor kid." Hugo frowned.

"Are you okay?" Cherry asked, coming to his side.

"No," Quasimodo looked down at her as he got to his table. "You saw the way she looked at me."

"Well then, get her to look again, honey." Laverne said.

Quasimodo frowned at both the females. He then turned to Laverne, seeing her as a mother substitute and smiled at her. "Do you believe in miracles?" he asked.

"Miracles? What kind of miracles?" Laverne asked.

"Talking gargoyles?" Cherry joked.

"Come on, Cherry!" Esmeralda called out. "Time to go home for supper!"

"Coming!" Cherry called back and turned to Quasimodo. "Wanna eat with us?"

"Not today," Quasimodo replied. "See you again tomorrow."

"Okay, bye now." Cherry smiled and dashed to her mother, leaving for dinner. "Is Phoe-Papa, staying for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, tonight is a good night." Esmeralda replied. "Then while he's with Zephyr maybe you and I can have a little talk."

"T-talk?" Cherry gulped a little.

"It'll be okay, I promise." Esmeralda led Cherry into their new home. After Phoebus and Esmeralda adopted Cherry they both bought their own home. No one in Paris even questioned Esmeralda due to her gypsy heritage and citizens of Paris and gypsies lived together in harmony.