A/N: Hello, everyone!

Wow, it's been years since I've touched this story, my first completed fic, and the first chronicle of my Lumière and Babette fangirling. Since I've grown immensely as a writer and person since initially publishing this fic, I did some small tweaking to this story to maintain its super fluffiness, but write it more to my current satisfaction.

Also, I've started a new Lumière and Babette series, and the first book, Noble Sentiments is completed! It's a pre-curse fic that explores how their relationship would develop if Babette was born a noblewoman. I've dug much deeper into their characters through that book, and I also want to explore some of the other residents of the castle in the future as I go. I would be thrilled if you could take a glance and give your criticisms!

Thank you for reading! And don't be afraid to review!

Part I

The maître d' hummed a laugh to himself as an exotic resident passed down the empty corridor.

The new maid with curves, a sensual appeal, and a face that could stop death glided by with a hand on her swaying hip and her feather duster held up as if modeling it. Her maid outfit fit her perfectly, accentuating her tiny waist even more. She was practically strutting for him, her legs a wonder to behold.

Lumière straightened his cravat, swept his hair back, and swiftly back-tracked to the astounding creature that had caught his eye.

"Pardonnez moi, mademoiselle," Lumière said as he stepped in front of the wandering maid. "But I'm afraid we aren't met. I would have recalled someone as beautiful as yourself." He picked up her hand and kissed it gently. "I am Lumière. And you?"

The maid's eyes sparkled with interest as she surveyed the handsome man in front of her.

"Babette, monsieur," she replied through her plump smiling lips, eyelashes fluttering.

"Babette," he repeated, tasting the name. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Hopefully, we can make it more than just a mere acquaintanceship."

"Let's hope," Babette said, liking this man more and more.

"Perhaps I could give you a tour if you would like, since you seem to be unfamiliar to these hallways-"

"Lumière!"

Cogsworth came around the corner at the end of the corridor, skidding on the rugs, wig askew. He ran the rest of the distance between them while yelling, "Lumière! The Master wants you present in the foyer this very minute!"

Lumière sighed, positively annoyed and frustrated at the interruption, and turned back to the maid. "My one thousand apologies, chérie, but my duty calls." He kissed her hand one last time, turned to Cogsworth and strode quickly down the corridor.

After they were around the corner, Lumière hissed, "You have the most impeccable timing."

"Well, excuse me for interrupting your little introductions with the new maid," Cogsworth replied with venom. "But you can't ignore a summons from the Master!"

"You don't have to remind me, Cogsworth! I know quite well what he expects."

"Need I remind you of the fact that you should always be close-at-hand for the Master to call upon you at a second's notice?" Cogsworth bit back.

"How can you blame me for wanting to be away from him for a little while? He's been becoming more unbearable by the day! Surely you've noticed his shorter temper."

"Yes, unfortunately, I have," Cogsworth said sadly. "He seems to be more ungrateful and angrier than before. I don't understand what could possibly be changing in him."

"Whatever it is, we can't fix it," Lumière sighed despairingly. "No one can."

Babette watched the newly-met man walk down the corridor until he was out of sight, a fabulous appeal in him blooming. It was apparent he was fascinated in her also. Living here was going to be much more interesting than she had first thought…

She continued on her way to the maids' room, a terribly boring place where the other maids talked about pointless subjects like how cute that servant was and "did you see Jacqueline with Alphonse?" and blah blah blah, but it was the only place she was permitted to rest.

Her thoughts kept straying back to Lumière, and she kept repeating their meeting in her mind.

Meeting Lumière was the most excitement she'd gotten since she arrived from a high-class village south of this grand castle. He seemed very appealing and full of flattery. Others would usually find that trait irritating, but she herself loved others using a variety of words to describe her.

Of course, she had been approached by many men—some in this very place, but all of them were too predictable, bought her useless gifts and used flirtatious words that came out wrong and sounded bleak to her ears.

But this man looked like he knew what he was doing. He seemed confident, almost over-confident. Babette loved that in a man and so many didn't have that same type of confidence. He also had a delightful charm that she found extremely attractive.

For a first impression, she had gotten much out of him and couldn't wait for their next encounter.

She smiled to herself, flicking her feather duster carelessly, but with grace.

"Lumière!"

Lumière looked up at sound with slight alarm. His thoughts were elsewhere on the beautiful maid, Babette, but he was surprised at the Prince's tone most of all.

"Master?" Lumière responded.

"Were you listening to a word I was saying?" the Prince asked menacingly from his perch on his throne.

"My apologies, Master, but I was only—"

"Enough!" the Prince interrupted. "You have no excuse to be ignoring me when I'm speaking to you! Nor do you have any excuse for wandering around and avoiding me like I was some disease!"

Shocked at the accurate accusation, Lumière bluffed, "How could you possibly think that? I have not been—"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" the Prince cut in again, eyes full of angry fire as he glared at the other servants: Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and a few others. "Do all of you think I'm a fool?"

Immediately, all started to deny it but they were silenced by His Highness.

"ENOUGH! If you do not wish to serve me any longer, I'll throw you out in the snow! How would you like that?"

Everyone made nervous glances at each other, but none spoke.

"I didn't think so." The Prince leaned back in his throne. "Now, for your punishment for your treatments of me, I—"

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The noise echoed through the room from the front door. No one moved.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"WHAT NOW?" the Prince cried, standing up.

The knocking continued, clearly persistent to have someone answer the door.

"UGH!" The Prince stomped toward the colossal double doors.

Lumière uttered quickly, "I could get the door, Master—"

"NO!" the Prince said, turning on him. "I am capable of doing this myself."

Lumière grimaced and retreated.

All eyes stayed on the Prince as he opened the doors, snow blowing in as he did so.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Babette was again wandering the halls, hoping to happen upon Lumière, when she heard the banging of the knockers on the main entrance doors. She followed the noise, curious. Soon, she heard yelling and more knocking. She glanced down from the second floor balcony to see a full view of the foyer.

The air in the room was so tense you could have plucked it like a string on a harp. All of the gathered servants were looking nervous and apprehensive, all of their eyes following the Master, who was storming toward the doors.

Babette ran delicately to the grand staircase, and as she came to its top, the doors were opened and she felt a blast of cold air from the distance. Shivering, she stepped slowly down the stairs, trying to see beyond the Prince at the intruder.

A crinkly female voice as old as used parchment whispered through the wind. "Please. Take this rose in exchange for shelter from the bitter cold."

"Get out of my sight, you ugly old hag!" the Prince cried, sounding repulsed.

"Do not be deceived by appearances, for true beauty is found within."

"Did you hear what I said? Be gone!"

The Prince made a motion to shut the door, but suddenly a blinding light blew the doors open, reflecting off of the marble walls and floor.

Babette turned away, eyes hurting. The light died slightly, and she dared to look up.

What she saw was incomprehensible, and everyone stared in wonder and awe at a beautiful enchantress holding a rose and levitating off the ground, power emanating from her. She was the source of light.

The Prince fell to his knees and began to apologize, but the enchantress's voice overlapped his.

When the enchantress spoke, her voice echoed through what seemed the entire castle. "You have been deceived by your own cold heart. A curse upon your house and all within it. Until you have found one to love you as you are before the last petal on this rose wilts and dies, you shall forever remain a beast."

Dots of light sparkled around Babette, and she began to feel a tingling in her skin. In an instant, her feet left the ground and landed again, but not with feet.

She couldn't feel her arms, and the bottom part of her body was formless. She stared down at herself to see a mass of feathers attached to a handle.

After trying to blink away what she saw, she tried to move. She did, but she… swept across the rug. She didn't feel her legs. Nor her arms.

As the realization crashed down upon her, the enchantress disappeared in a flash of light, but Babette was still distracted with the fact that she was her own tool: a feather duster.

"What…" she began, but she was speechless. She glanced back up to see if anyone else had become feather dusters.

What Babette first saw scared her half to death, for where the Master was just standing, a big hairy beast was in his place.

It was… hideous, yet she couldn't move her eyes away. It was unlike any beast that she had ever encountered.

The monster turned suddenly around to face a collection of objects that had been procured out of nowhere. Where had the other servants gone?

They all began to move, and they all had faces filled with fear, staring at themselves and each other in turn.

"What… what am I?" a mantle clock said, looking down what seemed to be hands.

"Cogsworth?" A candelabrum looked toward the clock, his voice sounding awfully familiar.

The clock glanced up for what seemed to be the first time and screamed.

"What—what?!" He pointed to each object, looking terrified. "Oh…" The clock fell unto his back; he had fainted.

"Oh, my word," an elderly teapot said. "What… how did this happen?"

The beast took a step toward them.

All of the objects turned to see him and gasped in unison.

"M—Master?" the candlestick stammered.

"What do you see?" the beast growled.

Silence.

"WHAT DO YOU SEE?" the beast roared.

The servants-turned-objects cowered, too afraid to speak.

The beast that Babette now suspected to be the Prince spun around to see a glowing hand mirror on the floor where he had been transformed along with a sparkling rose.

He walked slowly toward it, reached down to grab the mirror, and held it up to his face.

After a moment of silence, the beast whispered, "What am I?"

No one moved or spoke.

"WHAT HAVE I BECOME?" Its voice shook the walls surrounding them.

In its fury, it roared and clawed up the wall to the second floor balcony and disappeared with the rose and mirror in hand.

"Oh…" A moan came from the clock as it sat up. "What hap—AH!"

"Cogsworth, it's only us!" the candelabrum said. "Don't faint again."

"How did this happen?" Cogsworth asked, frantic.

"I believe," the teapot explained, "we are cursed. Turned to objects for the Master's scorn. Be thankful. The Master's in a much worse state than ourselves."

"Be thankful?" Cogsworth cried. "I'm a—a—"

"Clock," the candelabrum finished. Babette finally recognized the voice and gasped.

She slowly approached them. "Lumière?"

All of them looked in her direction.

Lumière's eyes widened. "Babette? You are…"

Tears filled her eyes. "A monstrosity?"

"No no, chérie," Lumière hopped to her quickly, almost losing coordination. "You look merely different."

He tried to reach for her hands with his candle stubs but there were no hands to grasp.

Babette instantly felt ashamed of her form and swept back toward the stairs.

"Babette! Wait!"

"Do not look at me!" she called, her voice terribly high-pitched. She didn't care where she was going. She just wanted to be alone and hopefully wake up from this horrible dream.