A/N: Hey-ho. (: I know I havent finished my other story yet (if you don't know about it, it's a WitchxWizard story. Please check it out. ;)) But I suddenly had an idea for a story and when i wrote it down, i started writing a little and couldnt stop! So here's the VaughnxChelsea story. It's loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood. At least, that's what I'm basing it on. :S

I'm just planning on having this story be a few chapters long. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own HM. :P

Chapter 1

They couldn't hear him coming. They couldn't see him nearing them. They didn't feel his presence. They flocked around each other like a herd of sheep, whispering to each other in hush, quiet tones.

"I heard that he assaulted his boss in his last job." One said, gathering a chorus of gasps from the others.

"Oh my gosh! How dreadful!"

The man stopped to listen, his gaze focusing on the group before he continued walking. Closer, and closer.

"They say that he burned someone's house down."

"Oh my!"

The heel of his boot accidentally stepped on a fallen twig that was on the ground. It created a loud snap that echoed loudly in the silence. All heads turned towards him, their eyes scared and wary.

"It's him!" Some squeaked, frozen and immobile in their spot.

No one moved a muscle, waiting for him to make the first move instead. He saw how they looked at him, with horror and fright in their doe-like eyes. He could see them shiver, could hear their breathing stopped for a second when his gaze passed them.

His eyes fell upon a girl who seemed to have stood out among the crowd. Her red bandana caught his eye and her bright blue eyes were staring straight right back at him. For a moment, he thought that here was one person who wasn't afraid of him. He took one step closer. She let out a shaky whimper slip past her lips as their eyes continued to stare at each other. He took a step back.

She was the same.

He let out a tired growl before walking past them to continue on his way to the boat that will lead him to a solitude island. From a distance, he could hear movement of the townspeople once more.

They were scared of him. He was the wolf among sheep.

His name is Vaughn.

Chelsea still shook where she stood. Her palms were still wet with sweat and her breathing ragged. Everyone around her had already started moving, getting back with their work when they were sure 'the wolf' wasn't around anymore. She felt paralyzed.

What was that intense stare just now? She felt like he was looking right through her, yet, at the same time, he saw all of her. Even though their eyes may have locked together for just a few seconds, it felt like a whole lifetime to her. His bright red eyes…his silver white hair…she never saw anything like it before. And the throaty growl he made before he walked away. It's like the villagers said, he looked like a wolf in human flesh.

"Chelsea? Dear, are you alright?" One of the villagers, Felicia, asked her in a worried tone as she placed a hand on her shoulder. Chelsea snapped out of her thoughts and turned around, smiling.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little shaken." She rubbed her hands on her arms to make herself warmer, still feeling a chill down her spine when she remembered his stare.

"No one blames you, we're all frighten of him." Felicia gave one last comforting pat on the shoulder before leaving to go back to her house.

Chelsea let out a shaky breathe. She still felt a little scared, but she couldn't help but feel a little silly about her own reaction as well.

Vaughn Wolfe came to the island a few weeks ago ago as Mirabelle's new animal trader. People had tried to befriend him, but he never speaks more than a word or simply growls in response. There were rumors that in the middle of the night, they could hear someone walking outside their house. When they looked through the window, all they saw were a pair of blood-red eyes, staring right back at them from a distance. Kirk swore that he heard a wolf howling from afar and when he went to check it out, he saw Vaughn, alone, on Meadow Island. Rumors had it that he was some sort of wolf man, that if he's angered or provoked, he would kill you in the night.

But it was all just silly stories that silly villagers came up with to pass the time. Weren't they? Chelsea shook her head.

"Just rumors…" She muttered to herself as she quietly walked to the boat. She needed to get some flowers for Felicia's birthday party this evening.

"Hey Chelsea!"

"Hi Kirk."

She got on the boat and pointed towards Meadow Island. Kirk hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"Well…Vaughn just went there a few minutes ago."

Vaughn…the wolf…he just went there a few minutes ago. Half of her mind was screaming at her to get off the boat or to go to another island to find the flowers, but another part of her is telling her to just follow through. She knows that Meadow Island has the prettiest flowers on the island since people rarely go there. She wanted the prettiest for the party.

"Meadow Island, Kirk." She confirmed her decision to him. He hesitated again but didn't comment anymore, simply paddle the boat towards the island. It was foggy. She couldn't see anything in front of her.

They got there in less than a minute, and when she got off the boat, he disappeared back into the fog in less than 10 seconds. Having no one to watch her back anymore made her feel even more vulnerable.

The fog was still thick, even on the island. She waded through the white cautiously, listening hard to any signs of movement or breathing. She heard nothing. She finally made it to her favorite spot, next to the altar where the flowers grew best. Kneeling down, she kept her eyes on the ground, still listening. When nothing came out of the fog, she concluded that he already left the island. She felt a little more relaxed with that thought in mind.

"What are you doing here?" She heard a rough voice from the back of her head. The flowers that she was holding slipped through her fingers when she stilled.

When did he come? How was even he able to creep up and kneel right behind her without her even noticing it?

Her breathing became ragged again, coming out in shallow, short breaths. Slowly, she turned around to face him and she stopped breathing altogether for a heartbeat when she came face to face with him. She could see her face in those red orbs, could see the terrified expression on her face. She gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself down. He's not a wolf. He's not a wolf. He's not a wolf.

"I simply came to pick some flowers for someone." She replied back without stuttering or tripping on her words. He looked down at her flowers and nodded.

"What are you doing here?" She asked back. He turned his attention back to her and made a sound in his throat. It sounded like a rattling snake.

"None of your business." He replied, tilting his Stetson a bit forward to cover his eyes, and got up to walk away. She should have left it at that, but for some unknown reason, she got up and followed him. She was curious. He walked really fast, snaking around trees so fast that she almost got lost. It was as if he mapped out this area and it was his play pen. But he finally stopped walking and turned around to face her again once more.

"Why are you following me?" He asked, tilting his head to one side, curiosity and annoyance in his tone. He stared down at her. She never realized how tall he was until now. She had always seen him in the distance or the nearest was just now when he was sitting behind her, but now, she had to look up just to stare back at him.

"I wanted to…" She didn't know whether she should do this or not, but something's telling her that she should, "…to ask if you were coming to Felicia's birthday party this evening. We can go together."

He scoffed, as if the idea of going anywhere with her was ridiculous. "Aren't you 'fraid of me? I'm the wolf. Go back to where you came from." He tried to dismiss her but she continued to follow him.

"I don't think you're the wolf everyone's been talking about." She called after him, feeling a little braver and a little more confident by the second.

He barked out something that sounded like a laugh, but it sounded more like a rough cough to her. "And saying that, I guess that makes you the black sheep among the crowd. Leave."

"I can't without the flowers which I have lost."

"Well that's not my problem."

"It is since you're the one who scared me back there and made me drop them."

"I didn't intend to scare you or anything."

"Well you did, and now I've been deflowered by you." She showed her bare hands but that wasn't what he was looking at. When she realized what she had said herself, she blushed to a crimson red. "Not…what I meant."

He gave a soft chuckle, and for the first time ever, she thought it sounded human. He sighed and tilted his hat back. She could fully see his face and the silver hair hidden beneath the hat. She must've been staring because he coughed an 'ahem'.

"Come. I'll help you get some new flowers." He nodded his head to left and walked that way, walking a little slower so she can catch up with him.

He brought her to a nearby patch of flowers, and truth be told, it seemed a lot prettier and fresher than her last batch. She knelt down and took in a deep breath. He knelt down and sat beside her, but not too close. He seemed a little more relaxed, and so was she. She couldn't help herself when she kept on glancing back at him. Was this real? He, who everyone thought was a big bad wolf, was sitting right next to her, calm and relaxed. Everyone must've misunderstood. He's not an animal. He's a man.

"Vaughn?" She called him. When she heard a grunt as a reply, she continued, "Why don't you come to the party this evening with me? It should be fun." She tried to persuade him again.

He couldn't tell if she was serious or just joking around with him. She didn't look like the sort of person who would tease someone, but after years of solitude and having people scared of you have made him build a wall around himself for protection. He pushed away anyone who came close or tried to break down his wall. He trusted no one.

But here's one person, one woman, who's threatening to break down his wall, and he knew he should just push her away, same as he did with everyone else, but he couldn't. He felt a difference in her. He wanted to trust her. He looked down at her hand that was inviting him to take it.

Was she telling the truth or feeding him a sympathetic lie?

"I…" He started, letting his single word disappear into the air. He was still hesitating. Ever since he came to this island, there were people who tried to befriend him. She's not the first. Still, he could see the un-genuine kindness that reflected in their faces and the fear that lit their eyes when they saw his own. They could see their faces colored in red when they stared at his eyes. His silver hair symbolized knives ready to kill, and his silence the stealth. In their eyes, he was a wolf, and they were the lamb.

But she's not like any of them. He noticed the fear in her eyes when she was frightened, but he saw it disappear when she ran after him.

Her hand was still reached out to him, but the longer he took to answer, he could see her confidence beginning to falter.

No, I don't want to be alone.

He quickly took it in a small act of desperation.

"I'll go…" He muttered shyly when he saw the bright smile that glowed throughout her whole face.

"Really? Wow, that's…that's great!"

A wind blew by and the flowers that she picked flew passed her. She made an attempt to catch them before they went past her, but she managed to grab only a few. There weren't much left on the patch of grass, and the only ones worth picking were being carried away with the wind. Getting up, Vaughn lashed out towards the direction of the wind and swung out his arms to catch the few floating flowers. He managed to catch a few and when he pounced forward to catch the others, he tripped and almost fell.

The flowers...No!

He wanted to roar with frustration but before he could do anything else, a few seconds later, he saw Chelsea dashing in front of him, jumping around to try to catch it too. She was laughing heartily, her laughter filling the whole island and his ears. His hands that were clutching onto the few flowers fell limp to his side as he watched her, mesmerized by her voice and…just by her alone. He knew at that moment that her laughter was something that he would want to hear again. It was a melodic voice, carefree and full of joy. There was no hint of fear or caution in her movements. Everything was free.

He was no longer the wolf and she was not a lamb. They were man and woman, simply together in a flower field.

And right now, he would give almost anything to freeze that moment, to keep this feeling of being human. Of being the same.

She stopped when she felt him staring at her. He quickly looked away from her, trying to hide the deep crimson blush that tinted his face.

"Vaughn?" She called, walking towards him with a few flowers intertwined between her fingers. She took his hand, the hand that had the crushed flowers and shook it. "Thank you."

He didn't reply back, but he smiled at those two little words, and at the woman who said them.

They stayed a little longer on the island, the both of them hidden inside the fog that was starting to disperse. It was getting late when she said, "We should get going if we want to make it to that party. It's Felicia's birthday." She released his hand and guided him back to the pier. The man with the boat was already waiting there for Chelsea, but when he saw Vaughn following her, he jumped out of the boat and strode to where they were, oar in hand and ready for a fight.

"Chelsea!" The old man called, his finger pointing right at his face, "It's the wolf! The wolf is behind you! Right there!" He cried.

Guess there are just some people who would simply be afraid of him. He thought of him as a wolf? He wanted to snap the old man's neck right there just to fulfill the image that the old man had of him.

"Kirk. His name is Vaughn. And he's not a wolf, or wolf man, or anything like that at all." Chelsea scolded, pushing pass Kirk to get to him. She grabbed Vaughn's hand and led him to the boat. Vaughn got in first and helped her in, giving Kirk an angered stare. If looks can kill, Kirk would be dead.

Kirk didn't say anything else on the way back to Verdune. Vaughn kept quiet too, still holding onto the flowers that were already crushed in his 'paws', yet, Chelsea wouldn't let him throw them away. The flowers she was holding weren't any better. Some had only a few petals left, while some had none. She noticed him staring at the flowers and smiled.

"They're still flowers, even without petals." She said, sniffing a petal-less flower that she was holding on to. She was weird.

When they got out of the boat, they walked together across the bridge where Chelsea said the party was held. He could hear music playing nearby and knowing that this was really happening was making him a little nervous.

"C'mon. It'll be fine." Chelsea whispered to him, giving him a comforting pat on his hand. He wished that she's right, but years of solitude and distrust weren't that easy to break down. He still felt uncomfortable. Yet, he nodded and followed her slowly.

When they arrived at the beach, he saw white wooden tables set up around everywhere, the chairs still stacked up on the table, waiting. There were a few empty glass vases on each table. Now he knew why she wanted the flowers. He saw kids playing tag near the tide, laughing and screaming. A few adults were watching them from a distance, talking to each other and sipping soda drinks. There were a few men that were around his age talking to each other or to some other girls. One of them was Julia who he worked with. She was the first one who noticed him and when she did, she touched the other person and whispered something. That girl saw him and gasped, whispering to another person. The news of his arrival spread like wildfire and the next thing he knew, everyone was staring at him and Chelsea.

"Wolf…" He heard someone muttered somewhere. Again, they were all tense and waiting. Of course they would still think that. A wolf standing next to a sheep doesn't make him one of the herd.

"I should go…" Vaughn said quietly to Chelsea, but she grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.

"No. They're just a little nervous."

And so am I, but at least they're not accused of being a wolf or some murderous animal right now.

Chelsea's hand travelled down to hold his and gave it a squeeze. He instantly looked down to where her hand was and then looked at her. She smiled at him and pulled him towards the crowd, a smile still on her face.

"Hey guys. I brought Vaughn." Chelsea greeted everyone, trying to break the ice.

"…" It didn't work.

She sighed and shook her head tiredly, looking up and whispering to him, "Well, if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to it." Chelsea shrugged nonchalantly and tugged him once to get him to walk alongside her. They went to sit by the fire that was set up in the center of the beach, sitting side by side on a giant rock slab. When people realized that he wasn't going anywhere, they started to move a little, but still rigid with fright. Julia and Denny, who were nearby, slowly approached them to sit on the rock across from them.

"Hey guys." Chelsea greeted cheerfully. They were still staring at Vaughn, but timidly waved back to her.

"Chelsea…that's…" Julia started, trying her best to whisper, but he could still perfectly hear her.

"Vaughn's cool guys." Chelsea said. She pulled the flowers out of his grip and showed it to them. "He helped me pick flowers for Felicia too."

They leaned it to look at the flowers, but there wasn't much left of it from what they can see. When they looked up at him, he growled back in response. Were they judging him? He knew coming to this party was a mistake. He got up and started to walk back to the bridge immediately, tired of the looks he was getting and the whispers he was hearing.

"Vaughn? Vaughn!" Chelsea called after him. He could hear her running after him. When he got far enough from the party, he stopped to let her catch her breath.

"W-Why are you leaving?" She asked, still panting from the running.

"I don't fit there." He grunted back. "I was delirious to even think about joining that party."

"No! I mean…I saw how they looked at you, Vaughn. I saw their faces, the same face that you have to see every time they look at you. I just thought that…maybe they'll accept you a little more if they see you in different scenery."

"You mean if they saw me with you? I appreciate it, but stop it. I don't need anyone's pity or help. This is who I am and if they can't deal with it, then screw them!" Vaughn accidentally shouted a little too loudly and angrily. She jumped back a step from shock, a look of fear flashing across her face for a second. But it was a second that Vaughn saw. He groaned into his open palm. He didn't need the one person who talks to him to be scared of him too.

But I guess it's inevitable. There's no way anything can come out of him being with her.

She made a move to say something else, but he stopped her by walking away. He created a large gap between them before looking back to see if she was still there. She was. She was still standing there, staring after him. And seeing her there, waiting for him, he wanted to do nothing but run back and apologize.

"No…I'm a wolf…She's a sheep." He turned away and continued to the pier where a boat was waiting to take him back to the city.

Enjoyed it? Hope you did. Why not review it? (: