chiv-id: Not really going to go much into detail, I've been focused on college, but as soon as I saw this movie, my creative juices started flowing again. If you have not seen A Monster in Paris, I highly recommend you go watch it before you read this fic because it has a lot of spoilers. There are free versions of it on Youtube in English and even French clips of certain songs. I personally like the French voice actor for Francoeur (one of the main leads), Matheiu Chedid or -M-, but I don't dislike Sean Lennon as the English voice actor. And yes, he is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

The songs are excellent, the visual aspect is spot on, and it's actually a refreshing breath of cinematic air. French movies are usually reserved, and this isn't an exception, but the romantic (not just love) atmosphere is something that has been missing from a lot of movies lately. That, and I absolutely love Francoeur, he's one of my top favorite characters now.

Disclaimer: I do not own A Monster in Paris, that goes to Bibo and Europa.

Summary:

One year after the defeating Commissioner Maynott and lowering the water level of La Seine, with the rumors of the Monster in Paris having stopped circulating, Francoeur and the gang finally have the peace they'd sought, but not everything is as it seems.

Lucille, making it big with Francoeur at the L'Oiseau Rare (Rare Bird), has her name in papers around the world and has been invited to do a national tour, but is worried about performing on a larger stage. Raoul, still in the process of reconstructing his Catherine and struggling to deliver materials on time without her, is scrounging what little funds he has to buying Lucille an engagement ring, all the while trying to find a way to propose. Emile had gotten some acclaim with his films and is offered to join a prestigious film school in London, but cannot go with Maud, now his wife, who had gotten some bad news about her mother and is forced to stay in Paris.

And Francoeur, after living as a gigantic flea, has had a few problems now and then with his natural instincts - for instance, wanting to suck blood, as unfortunate a monster stereotype it is. Luckily, the Professor is able to help his most basic needs, but what Francoeur now seems most curious about is: love. Lucille and Raoul, Emile and Maud, his friends all seem to have been afflicted with the condition except him, and he realizes with some irony he's been singing about the subject without ever having knowledge of it, even though he lives in the City of Love. Follow Francoeur and his friends as they embarks on a new adventure, filled with some new characters, new places, and new feelings that await our singing flea friend.

1911. Paris was bustling and roaring in a golden age of peace dedicated to trends and love. The Seine, once fearfully rising to worrying levels, had been defeated by the large sunflowers that had flowered in the summery gray sky of Paris one year ago. A corrupt Commissioner and a "Monster of Paris" had been gotten rid of simultaneously in the same year and the City of Love enjoyed one of the greatest internationally-recognized talents: Lucille and Franceour, the sweetest and most sensational pair of singing and dancing performers that entertained many at the now infamous L'Oiseau Rare (Rare Bird). Crime was also at an all-time low due to the newly instated Commissioner Pate, who often was seen with the Madame Carlotta, owner of L'Oiseau Rare and aunt of Lucille, patrolling the streets by bike. It was also a scientifically-revolutionary time as one of the most brilliant minds of the century, only mysteriously known as the Professor, began to confer with some of the greatest minds around the world to develop new inventions dedicated to the long-lasting good times.

And amongst the bustle and celebration that could be seen on the plentiful streets of this dazzling city were a pair of men who were at the center of it all. In fact...you could say they were the cause of this sudden Parisian debut, but these friends had just one more important event to play...

"C'mon Emile, we've got to get all of these to Madame Hubert before noon!" Raoul grunted as he shoved the last of the goods onto Emile's car. The shorter man, Emile, rushed to his friend's side after closing the gate to the supplier's home, tipping his hat to the kind farmer woman before leaving. It was a normal morning for these two friends, though it was drastically different from the year before. Raoul, once a successful if not dangerously reckless delivery man, had been reduced to using a bike after the unfortunate and watery demise of his beloved "Catherine", a machine he'd built by hand and included many oddities and quirks that could be considered unique. Emile, on the other hand, had been a bike-rider until current circumstances allowed him some new income, such as the taking off of his projection theatre that landed him some major deals in the cinematic world. The car in which Raoul was shoving his last sack of flour on was the 1911 Penn Model 30, imported from the good old USA itself, and a vehicle that Emile took much pride in owning. Hours of driving around with Maud, his wife of 4 months now, had been one of the greatest joys since its acquisition.

"Raoul, I understand the urgency, but I don't think my car can handle much more," Emile warned as he pushed the sack of flour from the bottom while Raoul tied it firmly to the back, "It's not a delivery truck, you know?"

"Emile, you think I don't know that?" the delivery man put a foot on the flour and pushed with all his might while pulling the rope, securing the goods, "I mean, I used to own the best delivery truck in the world! Catherine! Oh, Catherine, may your wheels keep spinning in machine-heaven..." Emile stopped pushing when Raoul finished and patted his friend's shoulder, which had slumped after talking about his beloved vehicle.

"I'm sure she's enjoying it a lot, Raoul," Emile then took a look at his car's sagging bumper, "But if we want to get this delivery there on time, we have to get going." Raoul shook his head and nodded to Emile before running to the driver's side and getting in. Emile wasted no time in joining Raoul on the passenger's side and gripped the door, getting ready for the wild ride.

"Oh, and thanks for letting me borrow your car again Emile, it's only until I can get another truck...or make a Catherine II!" Raoul started spouting enthusiastically again, to which Emile gave a small laughing breath. It had already been a year since Raoul lost Catherine, and he'd only gathered a fifth of the parts he'd made the behemoth with. And many of those parts had been bought cheap, the only way Raoul could afford anything anymore.

"You're welcooooommmMMMEEEEE!" Emile started off courteously then finished in a scream as Raoul punched the gas pedal and jerked them into rushing down the street. Just another day in the life and times of Raoul and Emile, the smaller man thought frantically as they narrowly dodged newspaper vendors and couples of bikes. Emile had to pause his thoughts as a flyer that had been flying carefree through the air smacked against the windshield, the Parisian leaning out the window quickly to grab at it before it obscured Raoul's vision. Not that his driving could get any worse. Emile stared at the flyer for a few seconds before grinning, smoothing out the frayed and dirtied edges as he read the words 'Lucille and Francoeur' in big letters at the top of the picture. The two of them were smiling, Franceour's big blue face hidden by the white mask and wide-brimmed chapeaux, and Lucille's angelic presence heightened by the small wings protruding from her back.

"Hey Raoul, you know, your girlfriend's pretty popular," Emile teased and Raoul flashed his gaze over to him before laughing.

"Of course she is! Her voice is something, isn't it?" the man sighed and relaxed in his posture, causing Emile to panic and grab his sleeve to get Raoul to focus. The car swerved for a few seconds before getting back on track, Emile breathing a big sigh of relief before putting on an apprehensive air, quietly observing Raoul until the married man started to open his mouth.

"I know what you're going to say Emile, and I'm going to say it again: no," the black-haired French man stubbornly gripped the wheel as he concentrated on driving, "And if you were in my position, you'd say the same thing."

"Yeah, I guess, maybe," the brunette conceded for a second, scratching the back of his head nervously, "Or maybe not. I mean, I trust Maud, and love her to death. I wouldn't want to put any of the responsibility on her if I could, but she's told me that if we were ever in trouble - financially - she'd support me and we'd get through it together." Emile gestured to him meaningfully, trying to get through to the proud delivery man who was still driving haphazardly through the streets to get to their destination.

"Well, you're married, it's different," Raoul glared at Emile again before sighing, "Lucille doesn't need to know, okay? I want to be able to support her, but..."

"It's hard to do when your girlfriend is the breadwinner," Emile finished and again received a glare that Emile pulled his hat down to hide from it.

"I mean, I don't mind," Raoul shrugged, trying to shirk the obvious irritation that was creeping up his spine, "She's doing what she loves, and I'm happy for her. And you know what? Lucille gets clothes for free now, because it racks up business for whoever sold them to her! She's a star, and I couldn't be prouder." It was true, Raoul was happy for her, ecstatic even, to see her sing every night with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. He would do anything to keep her smiling...

"Raoul, the road!" Emile had to drag the lovelorn Parisian back to reality when he strayed off the road. Raoul screamed as he jerked the wheel, his daydreams having steered the car onto the sidewalk. Pedestrians dodged left and right before shaking their fists at the pair in the rearview mirror. Raoul waved sheepishly before breathing heavily and glancing back at Emile.

"Look, just don't tell Lucille. She's happy and I want to keep it that way. I don't want her worrying about my money problems," Raoul nodded affirmatively, a stern expression crossing his normally easy-going face.

"Quite gentlemanly of you, Raoul," Emile smiled slightly before putting on another worried face, "However, I don't think you can keep it up for long. Lucille's been asking questions about you, why you're gone all the time and why you haven't showed up for any of her shows lately. She's afraid she's losing you. You mean a lot to her."

"What, she told you all of that?"

"No, she told Maud, one girlfriend to another apparently," Emile fixed his hat after they went over another bumpy cobblestone road, "And then to me, wife to husband. She also mentioned Lucille was furious yesterday for some reason." Raoul took a moment to think, a vague feeling tickling the edge of his conscious before he stopped the car suddenly, pitching Emile forward into the dash. The deliveryman himself started knocking his head against the steering wheel repeatedly, causing many eyes to be drawn to the strange sight.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Raoul then yelled when he accidentally smacked his forehead against the horn, "Stupid car!" Emile had to stop Raoul from wrecking his vehicle before he settling the upset Parisian.

"Don't take it out on my car, Raoul," the smaller man scolded before sitting back down in the passenger's seat, "Now, do you want to tell me what that was all about?" Raoul groaned and slouched in the seat, sliding down until only his hair was visible from outside the car.

"Our anniversary was yesterday," Raoul gripped his face with guilt, giving another frustrated and dismayed grunt. Emile crossed his arms in response and sighed again in disappointment. The casanova was quite serious about love, which is why he became so popular. Emile's romance films had gotten him some presitige amongst the film makers around the world and it was his personal opinion that everyone should know about the love that happened daily in Paris. Now, he was focused on one particular love that was having itself a really bad day.

"Well, what're you going to do about it?" Emile raised his shoulders as he scrutinized the man who was curling into a ball as he spoke. It wasn't long until a peculiar dawning seemed to spread across Raoul's face before he set the car in gear again.

"Finish this delivery then pay a visit to the good old Professor," Raoul smirked, causing Emile to give an exasperated and helpless sound.

"Raoul, the Professor might've been grateful for that sunflower accident," Emile had to grab at the door again as Raoul swung a wide right, "But it doesn't mean he's going to be doing you anymore favors. If anything, you used it up last time when you helped out Francoeur." Raoul looked over at Emile with a undefeated look and the smaller man stared back worriedly.

"Raoul..." Emile drew out the man's name in expectant dread, "What're you thinking?"

"I'm thinking...that you still have a pretty good credit with the Professor, Emile," Raoul did the same thing as his companion, grinning ear to ear, "If you do me this, I promise I'll owe you a hundred favors." Emile rolled his eyes and shook his head. Raoul really wasn't in the position to be owing favors, but when he saw the Parisian's sad eyes, he couldn't really turn his closest friend down.

"Well, we have to get there in one - " Emile was again heaved forward when Raoul stopped suddenly, the crazy delivery man spreading his arms to gesture to the bakery, "Ughh...and we're here, aren't we?"

"Yup! So, that's a deal then?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Mmmnn...no, not really."

"Thought so."

chiv-id: So, again, if you have no idea what's going on, who these people are, you NEED TO WATCH THE MOVIE. It is something I highly recommend, and again, there are totally free versions in good quality on Youtube. For those of you who've seen the film, I hope this gives you a good insight on how the story is starting and how it is going to unfold. So, until the next chapter, bye guys!