Hey Guys! I hope you enjoy this next chapter...sorry if it's too long for you. I'd like to thank bradhadair12 and Mists or reviewing and for the record Mists, thank you for the critique. I fixed that eye thing and the reason why I didn't make Remy have grey hair was because when drawing his design, the hair thing didin't work too well. Instead, I gave him some rat features and brown hair and characteristics/movements like his voice actor, Patton Oswalt. I'll soon post those design up, a well as the designs for Natalie, Aglionby and Ike.

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Chapter 7

"The Feast"

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Natalie sighed quietly to herself, her arms crossed as she sat back, looking at the customers who seemed to be enjoying themselves. She was working the cash register at Le Café Du Mogador, a job that Aglionby has so graciously offered her until she finds a way to pick up her singing career. She is so grateful to him…

She couldn't stop thinking about the events that occurred two nights ago. Even though it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel responsible for La Ratatouille's bad review. The food wasn't even that bad, but it seemed as though the black stuff on the food was put there by accident.

Aglionby had just finished serving some soup and sandwiches to some young woman, and was heading back to the register. He couldn't help but notice Natalie in deep thought. It worried Aglionby to see her like this.

Natalie is the daughter of his best friend, whom he attended college with. After living in France for all his life, his friend opened a small restaurant in the United States. Natalie was only 13 at the time and 10 year later, she expresses her wishes to move back to her home city and her parents respected her wishes, so long as Aglionby watch over her, even though she's old enough to make her own decisions. He has come to love Natalie as if she were his own daughter, and he made sure to help Natalie solve any sort of problem by any means necessary.

"What is it dear Natalie?"

Natalie suddenly jumped up at the sound of Aglionby's voice. She looked down at her friend, "oh nothing…it's nothing…"

"Ah, come now Natalie," he said with a small chuckle, "I know that look on your face…something is troubling you."

Natalie smiled. "You always know how to read me…Well, I was thinking about La Ratatouille and the night we were there. I read the newspaper review yesterday in the Food and Wine section, and it was not very pleasing. The part about killing off rats was unnecessary and a bit rude…"

Aglionby shuddered. "Well, you know me…I'm not too fond of rats, so that part didn't phase me too much."

"But Aglionby, don't you think it's still a bit wrong to kill animals for no reason, except that we can't stand them?" she asked.

Aglionby sighed. "I suppose you're right, but you shouldn't beat yourself up about it Natalie. It was their fault for messing up the meal, not yours."

"But for whatever reason, I feel like it wasn't their fault either," she said with deep concern in her eyes. "The ratatouille tasted alright, but it was only the ink that ruined everything. And if you noticed, the ink seemed chaotically placed."

"Hmm…" thought Aglionby curiously, "You are right about that…it did seemed out of place. But if it was an accident, then what do you want to do about it?"

Natalie looked up at the clock and began to close up the register, "My shift is over. I know my mind is not going to rest until I do something about it, so I'm going to go visit "La Ratatouille" and try to talk to the chef's. I know it's a long-shot, seeing how busy it usually gets, but I have to try."

Aglionby opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it and smiled as Natalie began to put on some black leather gloves from her pocket, "Alright Natalie…you go ahead and try…You know, you really are just like your parents."

Natalie smiled and gave Aglionby a big hug, "thank you so much Aglionby. I'll be back in time to perform and help you close up the shop."

She then grabbed her coat and scarf from the coat hanger by the door and with a finally wave, she left for the restaurant with a determined look on her face.

-

Meanwhile…

Remy began to chop up some vegetables for a soup as the other chefs watched h curiously. The chefs were surprised that the rat chef had left, and so suddenly too, and the appearance of his replacement seemed too coincidental.

"Do you think he'll survive these next few days?" asked Laro to Horst. Horst merely cracked a grin, "he seems like he's had experience, but he is "new meat" so…I give him a week."

"But…doesn't he seem…familiar?" continued Laro, "I feel like I've seen him before…I don't know, I can't explain it. And he came so suddenly! Don't you find that odd?"

Horst sighed, a bit annoyed, "yes, but Colette trusts him, and she's in charge while tiny chef is away. Though…we'll make sure to keep our eyes on him, ja?"

"Oui," responded Laro and they continued with their work.

Colette sighed quietly to herself as she began to clean a goose for a Foie gras. She couldn't help but think about Remy, wondering how all this happened, and quickly at that. She's been friends with this rat for almost a year now, and now she had only just learned of his past in a matter of 13 minutes.

Still, even with her wonderings she's happy that Remy is now human and that they can all now actually hold a true conversation. Plus, now they know his name, and it's nice to stop calling your Head Chef, "tiny chef" all the time.

Colette's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Linguini burst into the kitchen, ready to grab the next batch of orders. He smiled at Colette and she gladly returned it. He skated over and tapped Remy on the shoulder.

"Hey little...er, I mean Remy," said Linguini nervously, almost calling him by his old nickname, "How you holding up?"

"Pretty darn good, thanks for asking," said Remy as he began tasting his soup, and smiling happily. "Soups on! I need plates!"

"Well, if you need anything, you lt me or Colette know," said Linguini, "seriously, d-d-don't hesitate to ask. We're here for you and…and you can come live in my apartment since your human now and…"

"I get it Linguini and thanks," said Remy, patting him lightly on the shoulder, "and now that you mention it, I need to go make a quick visit with my family. Colette!"

"Eh?" Colette turned her head to face Remy.

"Could you take charge of he kitchen for a bit?" he asked as he served some soup into some bowls and handed them off to Linguini, "I need a bit of time to explain this "incident" to my family…I'm sure their not going to be too happy about this."

"Alright," he said with a smile, which suddenly turned serious, "but hurry back!"

Remy nodded and wiped his hands with a towel before leaving the kitchen. The minute he entered the dining area, he couldn't help but notice a young woman talking to Mustafa. He gasped once he realized who it was.

"The singer from the coffee shop!" he gasped.

"'ello Miss," began Mustafa, "Do you have a reservation?"

"No, I do not," responded Natalie, 'but I must speak with the chef. I was here the evening of the supposed "disaster" and it's important that I speak to him."

I have to admit, seeing Natalie here excited me and frightened me. For one, she wanted to see little old me…me! But…then again, this couldn't be pleasant, since she wants to talk about the evening she was there…

Either way, something inside me wanted to talk to her…

"I'm afraid I can't let you in without a reservation," he said, flipping through a book with open dates and times, "but if you'd like to make one, we have a table open two weeks from now."

Natalie opened her mouth to speak, when she suddenly noticed a somewhat short man in a chef's uniform approach.

Remy smiled nervously. "Um…hello! I'm the chef…is there anything I can help you with?"

"Um…yes…may I speak with you?"

"Of course...I'll take it from here,' he said and Mustafa nodded. Natalie smiled at Remy and took off one of her gloves. She offered her hand in a handshake.

"My name is Natalie Devereux," she said. "And your name is?"

Remy hesitated, trying to think up a good last name, "Uh…Remy…Remy Raton."

Remy took her hand into his and shook it lightly. He sighed a bit, enjoying her touch and the warmth he felt at his fingertips. He suddenly shook his head back into reality.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Monsieur Raton," she said with a smile.

Remy lead her to an empty table and pulled out a chair for her, helping her sit down. He then sat down opposite to her, his arms folded in his lap, ready to hear what she had to say.

"Um…well," began Natalie, "I was here the evening in which a chaotic event occurred…"

Oh boy…here we go…

"…and…I just want to say I'm sorry for all that happened to you because of it," she said simply.

Remy stared at her with an arched eyebrow. "What? Why are you sorry? It was my fault that I ruined your meal…"

"I know," began Natalie, "but I still feel awful. I know that the ink was laced by accident since it was so out of place…"

You could say that again…

"And I just wanted you to know. The food was delicious, but the ink was the only thing that threw everything off balance. And…that's it," she blushed a bright shade of pink, that for whatever reason, Remy thought was adorable. "I'm sorry I wasted your time like this…"

"No, no!" responded Remy suddenly, frightening her a bit, "I'm glad you know it was an accident…someone…splashed ink everywhere at the last minute and I'm glad at least one of our customers figured it out."

Natalie smiled and got up from her seat, ready to leave. "Okay…well…thank you for your time…"

"Wait!" shouted Remy, making Natalie turn suddenly. He gazed at her from head to toe before blabbing out…

"I saw you perform at Le Café Du Mogador!"

Natalie placed a hand on her cheek as she blushed profoundly. "You…you did?"

Remy nodded, "I uh…it was my first time watching a coffee shop performance and your song was so catchy and inspiring," Natalie began to smile widely, the same smile that made Remy so drawn to her. "I was actually curious to know if you could tell me what the song means? I um…I'm not good with French."

Natalie smiled as she sat back down at the table, "Ah…alright. Well…the song is called "Le Festin", which translates to, "The Feast" in English. I wrote it in dedication to my father, my good friend, Aglionby, dreamers and all chefs everywhere Ever since I could remember, I've been surrounded by food. My father owns a restaurant in the United States, and had shown me the wonderful world of cooking. He taught me how to savor food, not just a necessary thing to survive, but also a beautiful piece of art that has so much color, texture and beauty to it. Singing is my number one passion, but food is also important in my life. I don't eat much, but I try my best to only eat what's worth eating…"

Remy sighed as he listened to Natalie talk about food as passionately as he would, and he couldn't help but think the same words he thought we he saw Gusteau on he TV…

Oh…pure poetry…

Natalie noticed Remy gazing at her with half-lidded eyes. "Um…is there something wrong Monsieur Raton?"

Remy shook his head, "oh no…I'm sorry…Please continue."

Natalie giggled, "well, coincidently, I'm performing at the coffee shop today, and I'll be singing the song in English. If you come, you'll get the song translation, and I'd love to see you there."

Remy suddenly got pink in the cheeks, "Oh…alright, then I guess I'll be visiting."

Natalie smiled once more as Remy led her to the front of the restaurant.

Remy smiled back, revealing a buck-toothed crooked grin, "it was a pleasure meeting you Miss Devereux…"

Natalie laughed. "Oh please Monsieur, call me Natalie."

Remy nodded, "okay Natalie, um…would you like t a reserve a table for next time…it's the least I could do after what happened a few nights."

Natalie placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, "thank you very much Monsieur…"

"Please, call me Remy," he responded, eyeing Natalie's hand, which was still placed on his shoulder. His eyes then met Natalie's, which were a dark shade of green.

"Remy," whispered Natalie softly. "I'll see you around."

And with that, she shook his hand and left with a bright smile on her face.

Remy couldn't help but stare after her as she crossed the street and ran off. He had to admit, he never expected her to have a passion for food like he did and he has never felt this way for someone let alone a woman before. Could this be love, or just plain respect and admiration?

Remy got up from the table, and decided to walk out to the back to stretch his legs and give this idea more though. Only, once he reached outside, he noticed two rats sitting outside, who were no ordinary rats.

"Dad! Emile!" shouted Remy, making Django jump.

"Who the heck was that?" asked Django out loud as he looked around until he looked up to see human Remy.

"Dad, it's me! It's me, Remy?"

"What!?" asked Emile as he eat God knows what.

Django eyed Remy cautiously, "something's screwy here….Do you really think you could pull the wool over my eyes!? What make you think I'm going to believe your Remy? You're human for Pete's sake!"

Remy rolled his eyes, "if I am not Remy, then how do you explain the fact that I'm talking to you in rat language."

Django opened his mouth to speak, and his jaw then suddenly dropped, as did Emile's. They both stared at this man and looked carefully at his human features, like his ears, nose and eyes, which looks a whole like…

"Remy…is that really you?" asked Emile incredulously.

"Yes big bro, it's me!" he announced with a smile. He looked at his dad, who looked utterly confused.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked. " Why are you a human now? How did it happen? WHEN!?"

"Well, uh, dad…" began Remy, "I sort of wished…to be human and by some odd chance…I became it…"

"WHAT!?" shouted Django, "you WISHED FOR THIS? Why would you want to be human!? You were already a rat…didn't you like being a rat?"

Remy sighed. "To be honest dad…no. I mean sure, I was able to accomplish many of my dreams but when you're a rat in a tough business, people try their best to see you fall, and don't give you the respect that you deserve. I wanted to be human, hoping to gain some of that respect and to help my friendship with Linguini and Colette grow. "

"But Remy," began Django, "you already had some respect…you had my respect."

Remy smiled at his father, "thanks dad but…I really need to experience this. And it won't last for too long…I promise."

Django and Emile sighed. "Alright Remy," said Django as Emile continued to eat, "but I don't like it ne bit. Nevertheless, we're family and we'll always stand behind you, but tis may be something we won't to keep secret from the colony…right, Emile?"

Emile, who was known for not being able to keep a secret, put up his hand in a soldier salute as he said between bites, "you can count on me! Really..."

Remy squealed with excitement and pulled the rats into a tight hug. "Oh thanks! I love you guys!"

"Uh…Remy?" began Django hoarsely, "too tight! Too tight!"

Remy let then go, allowing tem to breathe, which made Remy laugh, "sorry guys. Anyway, I gotta go!"

"Where are you going?" asked Django as he ran off.

"To a café performance!" he shouted back before disappearing. Django looked away, a bit saddened and even though Emile was eating, he took notice.

"Don't worry dad...I'm sure Remy will be okay," said Emile.

"Okay or not," said Django, looking up at the sky, "Remy has turned into the enemy…"

Emile said nothing, and scuttled away, giving his dad some space. Django merely stared up into the sky and sighed sadly.

"Oh Desiree…if only you were still here with us…you'd know what to do…"

-

"Merde!"

Colette began to grow annoyed. The kitchen was at it's busiest tonight and Remy still hasn't returned yet. Linguini had just entered the kitchen when he heard his girlfriend shouting curse words at the top of her lungs.

"What's wrong mon chere?" he asked.

Colette pouted, "our dear friend has not yet returned from his break! It's a busy night tonight and we need all the help we can get!"

Linguini patted her shoulder, "aww don't worry about little…Remy…remember, he just because human, and he's curious about the things he now can do now. I'm sure we'll be fine without him…I mean, you're tough…"

Colette rolled her eyes, "in this culinary world, I need to be. Fine…I'll let this slide, but he better not do this again or I will really let him have it!"

Linguini laughed, though a bit nervously, because he knew that she meant it.

-

Meanwhile…

Remy settled himself in a nice spot in front of the stage in Le Café Du Mogador. He grew excited, knowing that he would finally be able to hear Natalie's song in English. It was also his first night out as a human, and so far, he was enjoying the fact that he wasn't being screamed at or stepped on.

Strangely enough, even with his big nose and ears, he somehow manage the catch the eyes of some of the women in the coffee shop. One of the woman even approached him, surprising him a great de. The woman smiled brightly, and had long wavy brown hair.

"Hello there,' she said kindly with a French accent. "My name is Michelle. I was wondering if you'd like a cup of coffee and would like to sit with me and my friends."

Remy smiled, "thanks, but no thanks." The young woman shrugged and walked back to the table of giggling women.

Suddenly, the lights began to dim and out came Natalie on the stage, wearing a black dress and one long black glove. She smiled and gave a small wave to Remy, who sheepishly waved back He sat back as he readied himself to hear the song that has inspired him so…

Natalie closed her eyes and opened her mouth to sing…

-

Dreams are to lovers as wine is to friends

Carried through lifetimes, (and) spilled now and then

I am driven by hunger, so saddened to be

Thieving in darkness; I know you're not pleased

But nothing worth eating is free

-

Remy smiled brightly at the sound of the lyrics. He gazed up at Natalie who winked at him before singing the next part of the song.

-

My hope is a banquet impatiently downed

Impossibly full, now I'll probably drown

Many thieves' lives are lonely with one mouth to feed

If giving means taking, I'll never succeed

For nothing worth stealing is…

Free at last; won't be undersold

Surviving isn't living; won't eat what I'm told

Let me free, I'll astonish you; I'm planning to fly

I won't let this party just pass me by

-

Natalie began to dance around the stage happily, as Remy closed his eyes, again feeing the small feeling he felt the first time her heard the song.

-

The banquet is now underway, so…

Bring out the bottles; a new tale has spun

In clearing this table, my new life's begun

I am nervous, excited; (oh) just read the marquee!

A lifetime of hiding; I'm suddenly free!

My dinner is waiting for me

A lifetime of hiding; I'm suddenly free!

My dinner is waiting for me

-

The crowed cheered as Natalie got off the stage and walked up to Remy with a smile.

"Was that alright?" she asked. Remy blushed.

"Beautiful," he responded, making Natalie blush. He kissed her hand lightly, "thank you for the wonderful performance…"

"You're welcome," she said with a giggle. "I'll see you around?"

"Oh yes," responded Remy as he waved before leaving the café. Natalie sighed as Aglionby walked up to her, curious of the young man who was just talking to her.

"Natalie, who was that?" asked Aglionby with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh…just a friend," she responded, "just a new friend…"

-

Finally, I now know what that song was about! It's more amazing than I could have imagined…the song definelty was well written, and I really fee like I could relate incredibly well to the lyrics.

So now I have no business with Natalie…

But…

Then why did I tell her I would see her soon and…

Why do I really want to?

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Hope you enjoy this chapter! I'd like to thank PixarPlanet for the Le Festin English lyrics. Also, "Desiree" (the name Django mentions), is Remy's mother, who was a character in the movie until they cut her out of the film. Oh well, that's all for now!

Thanks for reading!