Shopping for Labels,Shopping for Love (Christian)

[HALEY MARIE WILLIAMS]

It was about time that Haley returned to her adoptive city of New York, she had to do some shopping before she returned to school. Actually, she did not have to do some shopping but rather, she had seen some clothes that she liked and wanted to go buy it. And the only place, she would buy clothes from was Barney in New Yor,she trusted them. She trusted them so much, she had asked them to make her line of clothes especifically for her to wear during graduation. Haley knew that she never was disappointed with Barney. she could always find what she needed and what she wanted there.

She pulled up to the front of the store in her Aston Martin Vanquish, she had been followed by black Cadillac Escalade. It was not uncommon when she was in Lakewood for her parents to assign her bodyguards. Even though,she hated it, there was nothing she could do about it, she did not want complain and start fight with her parents. That was not necessary, she did not like to start arguments with them because half of the time, she would lose them. If they wanted to assign her bodyguards then let them it could be actually fun.

In New York, there was nothing more dangerous than a young girl with an American Express black card in her hand and without any supervision. Haley really did not have anything in mind, she just started her theurapitic afternoon shopping trip after lunch at the Penthouse with her parents. She had already a bag of Tiffany of brand new jewelry that sometimes might not see the light of day and a bag of make up from Sephora. Haley had an idea what store, she wanted to go next, she had small obsession with hand bags and shoes, so Barney was her destination. Everything its so easy with her bodyguards are around, Haley was likely to get mobbed by people in New York,she just wanted to have some protection for little bit.



Haley walked into Barney and just smiled at one of the ladies. She started to look around and just smiled.As she entered the Barney stored,she was quickly mobbed by people especially teenage girls rushing up to her for autographs and pictures.She had managed to stop the store entirely with just her presence,such was price to pay to have fame in New York. Haley really did not mind,she loved the attention,it just sometimes it got overwhelming. The girl stood there taking pictures and signing autographs for her fan as her bodyguards tried to clear way a little bit so the girl could do some shopping. Haley smiled at a couple paparazzi that had mixed in with the crowd,the girl knew tomorrow this was going be front page of the tabloids.Now her thoughts were what her parents going say,they were probably concern for her safety. The girl really did not care,this was all good fun and she loved to be lavish by attention. As she made her way to the crowd,she continued smiling until she was finally free of the crowd,now she could finally start shopping.

[CHRISTIAN HENRI DELACROIX]

* wouldn't you rather be
A WIDOW THAN A DIVORCEE? STYLE YOUR WAY THROUGH MAGAZINES,

Christian had certainly not been planning on spending his afternoon shopping. He was gay, yes (painfully so; he flaunted his flaming homosexuality so as to avoid young girls getting the wrong idea), but not so gay that he would willingly go shopping. Like any other guy, straight or otherwise, he preferred to spend his afternoons eating food that would more or less kill him in his later years, playing music, or playing video games that included either the mindless slaughter of alien life forces or drug and shooting.

Just your average teenage boy -- or something like that.

As a tourist, Christian was definitely not very "average". He was handsome, yes (though he rarely recognized this himself) and he had a very distinct accent. Because Christian's father was a French diplomat, he'd been on plenty of trips and vacations throughout the world; he never lost his accent, but he did know how to disguise it fairly well. He could almost get an American accent perfectly -- he had it down to a very slight strain on the consonants, and that was it. That was a big thing for him, you see, because all of the times he'd been in New York - this would be his fourth, you see - people had commented on his accent.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Christian was proud of his heritage, of his accent. He loved the way the American words rolled off of his tongue, the way they felt so exotic because they were foreign coming out with his French accent. It was true -- he had a heavy accent, so heavy that sometimes he forgot to disguise when the maids came by and they could hardly understand him. He felt bad about it, too. He was simply just so used to speak French - thoroughly and frequently - that it was hard for him to remember that not everybody spoke as fluently as he did.

So he tried to be nice and proper and American, a feat not easily obtained.

The black haired teen, however, was determined to get out of his house for a while. His mother, the loving bitch, had decided that today was cleaning day; and there was no way that Christian was letting her into his room. Not only would she see the pictures that he had up of him and his father and then burst into tears, but she would probably try to 'straighten things up' and put all of his music sheets away and then things just wouldn't get pretty after that. If there was one thing he couldn't stand the thought of, it was his mother getting into his things.

So, he'd locked his bedroom door and left the house. Dressed comfortably, a simple dark brown shirt, jeans, and a converse, the black-haired teen headed down the street. Glancing around, he noticed a -- well, a very nice car, followed by an almost equally but not-as nice black Escalade. He watched, curiously, as a girl made her way out of the car and into the store -- and was promptly swarmed by fans.

"Hey," he said aloud, to no one in particular, "I know that girl." He glanced either way down the street, then headed across, jogging slightly with his keys jingling in his pocket. Once he headed into the store (looking very manly doing it, of course) he pushed through the girls gentle.

"Pardon. Pardonnez-moi. E-Excuse me, I need to -- ah, sorry! Sorry!"

He finally managed to come up next to Hayley and place a hand on her shoulder. "My greatest apologies, ladies," he said loudly, quickly silencing the girls with his (dare I say?) charismatic tone. "But Miss Hayley will be returning to her shopping now. Perhaps another time." He gently (very gently) tugged Hayley away from the crowd, giving a starch and proper salute to her body guards as he gently propelled her along to the first aisle he saw. "Thought I saw you drowning there, so I swept into save you. I could be a modern day Prince Charming, non?"

[HALEY MARIE WILLIAMS]

The girl loved shopping in Monte Carlo and it's boutiques,they were exclusive but there was nothing like Fifth Avenue. In her eyes while Fifth Avenue was not as exclusive as Monte Carlo, she could go just go from store and store easily.But the things in New York could get rocky easy especially if she was going shopping even with security. Haley was well know because she was the heir to the crown of Monaco, she was used not having privacy when she went shopping.But today it was different,the girl had been mobbed by girls as she walked into Barney's. She just wonder why were people so obsessed with her life,she was just regular teenager.


In New York,you needed to have survival instincts if you were going survive in the ruthless world of money and power. Haley had learn those lesson from an early age, if she had to boss around somebody she had to do it and she could not be afraid of dropping her last name or giving orders,whenever she had the chance. That is why Hales was the way she was cold ruthless and daring,she did what she to do to come out on top regardless of who got hurt in the process. It was how she operated and she did not care if people did not like it, Haley had to survive and protect her fortune and money. Magazines could talk all they want about her, she did not care, publicity just brought her more fame and fortune and the end of the day that is what count.

In her world,your last name meant everything,it determines your status in the social food chain and even your membership to the social clubs. The older your name, the more access you had, in her world new money were not so fond look upon. Haley knew alot of her parent's friends looked at new money as free-loaders or even people that had not made their money the right way. She did not care if they were new money or old money,as long as they were rich, Haley would enjoy their company. One thing,she hated were free-loader, guys that were just dating her for her money, those guys usually met her bitchy side. Thats why, she was most of the time single and usually had an arm candy that she took to important events with her. But if she did not have anybody,she did not mind going alone, after all she was an Williams just by herself, it would be a show.


The girl embraced Christian as she saw walked around looking for some lingerie. She was happy that her friend could join her here, she did not want feel alone while shopping and to be truthful,she was scared that she could be mobbed again. Haley giggle at him, "Oh yes you are my modern prince charmer,her Highness needed somebody to save me. My dearest prince,why you think those girls are so obsessed with my life?"The girl just smiled as she picked up a Lingerie Set and showed to him.Haley just smiled,
"What you think?"

[CHRISTIAN HENRI DELACROIX]

* wouldn't you rather be
A WIDOW THAN A DIVORCEE? STYLE YOUR WAY THROUGH MAGAZINES,

Well, to be honest, Christian didn't think he'd ever had to deal with guys dating him for his money. His father had been a wealthy and trusted French diplomat, but he'd rarely had to deal with people trying to date him because of it. Well, guys, at least; girls were more than happy to flirt with him just because he had good looks and his family was loaded. His mother complained all the time that she would never get a job now that Henri was dead, but Christian knew that his father's previous employers would happily provide her with a steady stream of money for just breathing.

Christian's mother was, well, beautiful. She had thick black hair that fell down to her waist, but was almost always up in an ornate bun, and dark eyes. He imagined that his father's boss, Jackson, would most likely pay her just to get her to blink her lashes at him -- and this infuriated Christian to no end, of course. Jackson was a slimy dog, the kind that went after dead men's widows. Christian had even told him, bluntly, that his mother was not up for grabs; and that if Jackson ever thought he'd lay a hand on Annalise Delacroix-Dupont, then he might just get accidentally castrated.

Or, something along those lines, of course.

His mother had been horrified when Jackson said he could no longer pay her visits. And she blamed Christian for it, asking him why he hated her, why he was doing this to her, and he couldn't tell her the truth because he knew it would break her heart. So he just took her angry tears and let her flee to her bedroom, and instead when to his own and locked the door and stayed in there until late afternoon the next day. On that day, his mother, his sister, and he all flew to New York for their winter vacation; and there he had reunited himself with Haley, who managed to make his day all the brighter.

Gently, he embraced her back, patting her head companionably and following along like a good servant boy. When she held up the lingerie said, he politely tilted his head and reserved the urge to crinkle his nose. Instead, he plucked the package from her hands and placed it back on the shelf, steering her away from that area just because he was a good man who didn't think she needed lingerie for anything. "I think that that would be lovely on someone who was not Her Majesty. Oui, I believe you would look much better fully clothed, and that you shouldn't have any need for things like that." This, of course, coming from the guy who was probably king of one-night-stands and nighttime flings. But he was chivalrous, and believed in a woman's virtue; so he didn't think Haley needed it one bit.

"Perhaps they are obsessed because they want your life? I can't be sure, I am but a mere man," he replied with a warm smile, tugging her along now, holding out his arm for her to take. "But for the rest of the day, I will take it upon myself to escort you to the stores you want to go to. Within consideration, of course."

[HALEY MARIE WILLIAMS]

In New York, there were few places that Haley could go without being recognize.Usually,she waited on the car and got one of her people to buy her coffee so she did not have to deal with the social pressure. But Haley like to have fun and just be normal girl,not have all the security around her all the time or even sent her people to go buy her things. In her mind,she was just normal college girl that had just gotten lucky and made it big.Even if that not what the magazines,made her out to be, but Haley did not think her parents fame helped her out at all. She was still normal Monaco girl and would always be no matter how much fame,she had.

Her world was complicated,it was hard to comprehend unless you lived within it. And really nobody wanted to be part of that world,unless you wanted to have lack of privacy that sometimes Haley felt. She did not recommend it to anybody,if you were not born in it,it was best to stay away.But sometimes fame drove you to it,there was not much you could besides relaxing and just trying to enjoy the long ride. Haley was one of those,that really could not escape the world that she had being born in and loved every minute of it.Well mostly all of it except the lack of privacy and the constant harassing of the press.But outside of that,she would not trade minute of it for nothing else, Haley loved it and she wanted to share it with her friends,it was only fair.

Another group of girls just mobbed her, she just giggled at Christian, her life was crazy. Haley really did not mind,she loved the attention,it just sometimes it got overwhelming. The girl stood there taking pictures and signing autographs for her fans as she tried to clear way a little bit so the girl could do finish shopping. Haley smiled at a couple paparazzi that had mixed in with the crowd,the girl knew tomorrow this was going be front page of the tabloids.Now her thoughts were what her parents going say,they were probably concern for her safety. The girl really did not care,this was all good fun and she loved to be lavish by attention.

It was not really her fault that people seemed to come after her, whenever she showed up somewhere. Haley could not really do anything about it but complied with request. If she tried be bitch,then she would get slammed in the press,Haley hated that.So she tried play nice and just post for pictures and smile,signed and autographs so she could get on with her life.

She reunited with Christian and just held him as she walked to private area of the store, Her Highness needed her privacy. Haley just looked at couple pair of Versace jeans and tops that she liked and held them up to Christian for his approval. She just smiled as she sat down,
"I'm not Her Majesty yet,my Father is His Majesty until then I'm just Her Highness. I love my lingerie though even though I just started my first monthly,I know you don't want hear about that."She paused,
"Thank you,my prince.How can I repay you?"

[CHRISTIAN HENRI DELACROIX]

* wouldn't you rather be
A WIDOW THAN A DIVORCEE? STYLE YOUR WAY THROUGH MAGAZINES,

The truth of the matter was that Christian had not known Haley for very long. They'd met on one of his trips here with his father; Henri had been practically in love with New York, with the hustle and bustle -- so different compared to the Gothic and silent cathedrals of Avignon, the home that Christian both loved and detested. It was important that Haley not ask about his father; she had met him, too, and Christian imagined that his father might have once worked with Hayley's own father. He didn't want to be the one to tell her that Henri Delacroix, beloved father and husband, had recently passed away; and he didn't want to to have to tell her at all that his father's death had turned his mother batshit insane, either.

Well, that may not have been the best term to describe her. Over protective would probably be much more sightly and pleasant. No, Lisa had definitely become a different woman after Henri died; or had she just been faking it while he was alive? Christian often wondered this. What kind of person was his mother really? Was she the loving and attentive, but respectful mother she had been when his father was still alive? Or was she the over-protective and erratic woman she was today, after Henri's death? Or, better yet -- a completely different person entirely? It was hard for Christian to be in his own home, let alone near the very woman who gave him life, these days. He could barely stand the tension in the air that radiated, almost tangible.

And so, Christian offered to spend more time with his friends to avoid it. Taking lessons from a music professor at the concert hall helped, too; and really, just any minute he was away from home was a minute of glorious freedom for Christian. If getting away from his mother and his delusional sister meant carrying shopping bags for the Princess of Monaco, hey, why not? He could live with it. So long as she didn't bring up the lingerie or anything that might otherwise make him uncomfortable, such as-

"...even though I just started my first monthly-"

... that.

Christian grimaced visibly, unable to hold it in, but he didn't blame Haley. Not really. "You don't need lingerie," he replied firmly. "Not until you're married." He took a quick glance at the clothes, shrugged and then nodded, and then held out his arm to hold said articles of clothing. "Abstinence is enough for me, Your Highness. All in a prince's day of work." Wow, did that come out sounding crooked or what? And it didn't help that there was a cluster of girls, giggling and pointing at them most conspicuously. He huffed slightly. Honestly, it was like no one had seen a gay guy ever before.