Reflections in a Darkened Glass
- You may be looking for Reflections in a Shattered Glass, a Blake's 7 zine.
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Reflections in a Darkened Glass |
| Publisher: | Beauty and the Beast British Fan Club |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Joy Faulkner |
| Cover Artist(s): | |
| Illustrator(s): | |
| Date(s): | the zine is not dated, but was written in 1990s |
| Medium: | |
| Genre: | het |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Reflections in a Darkened Glass is a 46-page het Beauty and the Beast (TV) Vincent/Catherine novel by Joy Faulkner.
It is an alternate universe/parallel novella in two parts.
The author adds this sentence at the very end of the story, one that appears to end with an epilogue that suggests the rest of the novel was a dream season: "Now, dear reader, did you honestly think I would let it end any other way!"
Summaries
From a flyer:
Have you ever wondered how the B&B story would have developed if Vincent had taken the injured Catherine back to a Tunnel World in which John Pater triumphed? What if Paracelsus had been ruler and Vincent his son, his heir apparent, as he had always intended? How would the series have differed then? What would Vincent and Catherine be like in this alternative world and how would their love have developed? And would they have still managed somehow to find a happy ending we all crave so much? Intrigued? Then read on, dear friend, read on...
Excerpt
"Want a drink, Mrs Pater?" he asked, lifting his glass in mock salute.
"Don't call me that," she snapped, immediately on the alert.
"Why not?" Vincent enquired [sic] smoothly. "It's your name, isn't it?"
"Not anymore," she insisted, her voice firm. But even so, she couldn't quite bring herself to meet his eyes.
"Oh, but it is," he returned, equally insistent, and Catherine took a deep breath.
[...]
"Had enough already, my sweet," Vincent commented dryly, obviously not missing one tiny detail of Catherine's reaction, and she turned, slowly, to find his eyes upon her.
"No," she returned, somewhat shakily, "but I think you might have."
She indicated towards the drink half-raised to his lips, but he merely shrugged and tossed it back in one gulp.
"Don't tell me what to do," he commented acidly." It's no business of yours how much I drink."
"True," she agreed.
But the feeling of unease grew stronger, more palpable, clutching at her heart with icy fingertips. A sober Vincent she might be able to handle. Just. But a Vincent even a little the worse for drink would be quite another matter. And he was watching her now, in a manner she found far from reassuring; his eyes narrowed and glittering as they roved in unashamed pleasure over her slender body.
[...]
Vincent smiled down at her, at her upturned face flushed now with childlike entreaty. She was flirting with him, he knew, to get her own way. As she always did when she wanted something. But he didn't mind. She had never really grown up, his Catherine. She was still the spoilt child, the baby, expecting some male to take care of her, to sort out her troubles and provide for her. Just as her father had. And he was willing to be the one. More than willing, in fact. He absolutely insisted upon it.
"Now, my love," he responded at last, very firmly, "we will live together and love together, and make many, many strong sons together. And I will found a dynasty to rule the world Below, as it was always intended to be."
But that was the part she hated. The Tunnel folk were brutish and dull, used only to obeying their masters, and Vincent could be a hard taskmaster when he chose. But she tried to avoid seeing that side of him, the harsh autocracy and the cruelty to others. It was something unpleasant, something she didn't like, so she merely pretended it didn't exist. And it wasn't too hard to manage. The Paters lived in comparative luxury Below, well away from those who existed to serve them. She would want for nothing , neither would her child, and deep down, if she was honest, she secretly admired Vincent's animal rages. Especially when they surfaced for her benefit, when some lowly person had failed to show the respect that was her due. They made her feel safe, and special. All that power, and all of it for her.
Maybe, then, it wouldn't be so bad, after all, and she had her son to take care of. Perhaps, perhaps, she could make a difference to him.