A/N: Another little one-shot. This one is rated 'T' and its a high T? Only for a little bit of suggestive themes.
Adam wandered into the library in search for his wife.
Whenever he couldn't find Belle there was a good chance that is where she would be. She spent countless hours there when she wasn't in Villeneuve helping out at the new library there. That had been one of very many new decrees he had passed upon returning to his human form and trying to make amends for all the damage he had done before the curse.
It was a place where everyone and anyone who wanted to learn had the opportunity to with their very own princess to guide and teach them.
While not quite so spoiled and selfish anymore he still enjoyed the occasional ravish party, though not as frequently (or expensive) due to the fact he had been secluded for so long. There were days he simply became too anxious to be in anyone's presence except for Belle and his staff.
Belle, however, while she did accept her new status as his wife and therefore Princess, she remained humble and free spirited, choosing only to dress like royalty when it was necessary.
Her acts of servitude towards their people were in that library and creating brilliant ideas to help the village thrive.
He often joked that she had all the fun duties of royalty while he was left with the more menial of tasks. The truth was he could not have been more proud of her.
No one ever dared to mock her anymore for her inventions or her love of reading. They certainly knew better than to insult the princess and certainly knew better than to anger him in doing so.
There had been a small rumor going around the village, Belle reported to him one day, that he had the means and opportunity to change back into a beast at will.
He did nothing to dispel this rumor and Belle had lightly whacked him on the shoulder when he laughed and told her so.
"I thought you didn't want to be known as a beast anymore." She had said.
"You're right I don't and I'm not one, am I? Besides I was more of a beast before I actually took the form of one and I'm certain you can attest to how human I was in the final days of the curse. I learned the hard way that it is truly on the inside that defines who you are, not outward appearances." She smiled at him, pride shining in her eyes.
"As for the villagers and what they believe of me, there is no harm in instilling a little bit of fear, is there?" He smirked. "My actions speak more than a silly little rumor anyway."
She scoffed and had whacked him with a pillow. "You are impossible."
He had given her a wolfish grin, one that reminded her a little of the Beast he had once been, the one she first learned to love and dropped the subject with only a small laugh.
The rumor had not circulated for very long but he still received an odd look every once in awhile whenever he accompanied Belle to the village. All that mattered to him was protecting Belle and while he knew she was quite able to protect herself, it certainly reassured him to know no one would dare try to harm her.
It allowed Belle to do her job without fuss, which made her happy and her happiness was most important.
Her days were either spent there, with him or with the staff as they taught her all she needed to know about being a princess.
Most evenings he found her in their own library, curled up by the fire with a book and most nights he even joined her and they read together or separate, just enjoying each other's company.
So it was no surprise when that is exactly how he found her.
The fire was burning a warm, bright orange filling the room with a soft glow.
Belle sat curled up in the large armchair, a shawl draped over her shoulders, a book in her lap and a serene smile on her face as she lost herself in her book.
It had been nearly a year since she saved him by breaking the spell. Nearly a year that she lived in the castle and months since she so graciously agreed to marry him. Yet still every time he saw her she stole his breath away.
She was truly beautiful, inside and out and he continuously wondered how he was fortunate to have her love.
Suddenly filled with that overwhelming love and a desire to be at her side, he stepped up behind her and made his presence known.
"Where have you gone off to this time?"
She jumped and let out a sharp gasp at the low voice near her ear. She whirled around and scowled slightly at Adam who grinned at her.
"Adam." She half scolded though her face softened into a smile. "Must you always do that?"
She relaxed back against the chair and he chuckled as he circled around the chair to stand in front of her. "You make it far too easy, my darling."
She huffed quietly, pulling the shawl over her shoulders which had fallen off in her surprise.
She was curled up in such a way that there was a nice space beside her on the spacious chair so he seized the opportunity and slid in beside her.
Belle narrowed her eyes slightly but did not object any further. She pulled her knees up closer to her body but wiggled around to be leaning against him.
She smiled as he pressed a small kiss to her shoulder. She turned her head towards him, met his eyes and quickly leaned in to kiss his cheek before she returned to her book.
He ducked his head, pressing another few light kisses to her shoulder before resting his chin there. "So? Where have you gone tonight?"
Her lips twitched at the corners in a smirk. "Verona." She answered simply and then turned the page.
"Oh?" He asked in intrigue, lifting his head and then frowned, his face scrunched up in distaste. "Oh." He groaned in disgust. "Again, Belle? Have you nothing else to read? You certainly could not have read all the books in this library. It would take years to do so."
"I haven't." She turned to him, raising her brow in defiance. "I just happen to like this play."
"So I've noticed." He grumbled miserably. "Though the reason still escapes me."
"Well no one said you had to read it or be here and I would appreciate the lack of commentary on my reading choices." She gave him a pointed look and he frowned deeper as she once again returned to the book.
He let out a small sigh and slunk further into the seat, folding his arms in a huff as he rested his head back on her shoulder.
Belle glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a laugh.
A few minutes passed with the only sounds being the gentle crackle of the fire, their combined soft breathing and the occasional flip of the page as Belle read.
Then Adam lifted his head and a small smirk grew on his lips as he once again kissed her shoulder. It was a soft, feather light kiss against the fabric of her shawl.
His arms unfolded and he slipped one hand onto her arm and slowly started to trail it upwards.
A small shiver ran up her spine as his warm hand made contact with her bare skin but she promptly ignored him.
As his hand continued to trail upwards and he began to push the shawl away from her shoulder, he pressed another lingering kiss where her sleeve met the bare skin of her arm.
He slowly but surely made his way up her shoulder, leaving a trail of gentle kisses.
Belle bit her lip, trying to hide her smile and continued to ignore him but she found it increasingly difficult to concentrate and had read the same sentence as least five times.
She let out a small gasp as a delightful tingle shot down into her belly as Adam pressed warm lips to the crook of her neck.
"Adam!" She laughed and wiggled against him. "I am trying to read!"
He grinned and pressed another few hot kisses to her neck. "I think you'll find I can be much more entertaining." His voice deepened, nearly growling in her ear.
"Oh, is that so?" She countered but found herself to be uncontrollably breathless.
"Mm." He asserted his point with another kiss and a small gasp rose in her throat.
"What can Romeo do for you that I cannot?" His warm breath danced across her skin, sending another delightful shiver down her spine.
"Well," she instinctively leaned towards his touch, "for one thing…" Her lips twitched in a smirk. "Romeo does not steal the bed covers in the middle of the night."
He suddenly stopped, his lips lingering on her skin for a moment and then he slowly lifted his head to frown at her. "What?"
She giggled quietly at the slightly dazed look in his eyes and she nodded, shifting her body to face him. "You do do that, darling."
"I…" He furrowed his brow and huffed in protest. "It is quite drafty in that room, Belle. I was a creature with a lot of fur for a very long time." He defended himself. "Human skin is worthless against the cold."
She brought a hand to his face, rubbing her thumb against the rough stubble of his beard. "I do not mean to offend you, Adam." She said, her eyes twinkling in mirth. "I am simply stating the facts and I too have human skin, in case you've forgotten."
His eyes suddenly darkened and a small smirk played at his lips as he gently squeezed his hand on her arm. "Oh I have not forgotten." He continued then to slide his hand up and under the sleeve of her dress. "Which brings me back to my original question."
He kept his intense blue eyes on her as he slowly lowered his head towards her shoulder.
He slowly pushed the sleeve down her arm and pressed a tender, lingering kiss to the bare skin on her shoulder.
Her mouth ran dry and her breath caught in her throat and she could not keep her eyes off his even if she wanted to.
"What," he dropped another kiss ad he slowly leaned in closer, "can," and anther, "Romeo," and another, "do?"
Her eyes fluttered closed and the book slid from her lap as she began to surrender to the pleasuring tingles his touch sent through her body.
He had now worked his way up her neck and was now peppering her jaw with kisses.
His body was pressed tight against her, a warm weight pressing her to the chair.
One hand moved to his upper arm while the other moved to tangle in his hair.
"Adam," she gasped breathlessly as he nuzzled at her cheek before leaving another few warm kisses against her jaw, "Do you really think we should be doing this? Anyone could walk in here at any moment."
"I think they all know better than to disturb us in here." He murmured against her skin.
She was about to point out that they were in the library, one of the most public rooms in the castle, but all coherent thought left her mind as he suckled gently on the sweet spot if her neck.
She gasped and threw her head back, gripping onto him tightly and he let out a low growl in the back of his throat in reply.
Suddenly both hands flew to his shoulders and she shoved him back against the chair.
She only met his wide blue eyes for a moment before she straddled his lap and swooped down to capture his lips with hers.
A moan rumbled deep in his chest and his hands flew to her waist as he responded eagerly to her fervent kiss.
His hands slowly moved along her sides, his fingers brushing, squeezing in all the familiar places he had learned in the last several months. Places he knew would have Belle squirming in his arms.
He grinned against her mouth as he received his intended reaction and few pressed herself closer against him, her hands now both resting at the base of his neck to cradle his head and keep them pressed together.
He shifted under her, moving so his thigh rested between both her legs. Then he lifted up and flipped them back over so she was now pressed back into her corner of the chair.
She let out a small squeak at the movement but he only paused a moment to grin wickedly and then his mouth was once again on hers.
Their lips moved together in a frenzied, passionate rhythm.
Some of the women from the village told her that the passion of new love would fade quickly after marriage.
Belle found that to be anything but true. Every moment she spent with Adam had her heart racing and put a fire deep in her belly.
There were nights where she was too exhausted from the day's activities and some days she was simply not in the mood for any sort of intimacy. Most days however, her love for him burned red hot inside of her and she knew Adam felt the same.
The sheer amount of pleasure he gave her, and she to him, sometimes just being in each other's presence with our any physical intimacy, she doubted that feeling would be going away anytime soon and nor did she want it to.
Among so many other things in her brand new life, she finally felt alive and truly, utterly, blissfully happy.
She could feel the very weight of him crushing her leg and he let out a low moan as she shifted beneath him.
One hand shot out to steady himself on the arm of the chair as he maneuvered himself into a better position, never breaking the contact of their lips.
Satisfied he was no longer crushing Belle and that he could support himself, both hands returned to her body, starting at the hips and then slowly moving upwards.
She arched up against him, pressing their chests together.
"Belle, dear, is that you in there?"
They both suddenly froze as Mrs. Potts' sweet voice drifted into the room from behind them.
Adam lifted his head from hers and they met each other's wide eyes.
A silent communication passed between them on the decision to ignore her or not.
Though the truth was they simply couldn't. The fire was still a blaze in the fireplace and Mrs. Potts would know neither of them would leave the room. Not to mention, the very labored breathing coming from both of them that they both tried to quiet.
It wasn't the first time they had been caught by the staff in a compromising position. The first couple weeks of marriage they had hardly been able to keep their hands off one another for even a minute. Heated stolen glances led to heated stolen moments in whatever room they could find. It was a particularly arresting moment when Chip, excited to tell Belle something, had nearly wandered in on one of these moments, that they decided they would confine private activities to either of their private bedchambers.
A flash of annoyance flickered in the Prince's eyes but Belle's own danced with amusement.
She softly cleared her throat as she turned her face away from him. "Yes, Mrs. Potts it's me. Adam is here as well."
She stole a glance back at him to find dark blue eyes staring down at her through narrowed slits.
She bit her lip, stifling a laugh as she brought a hand to rest lightly against his cheek.
"Oh!" Mrs. Potts said in delight, clearly oblivious to the state her prince and his wife were in. "Well good evening to you both."
Adam clenched his jaw, letting out a slow breath through his nose. "Hello, Mrs. Potts."
His voice was low and control;ed but had dropped into his deep register, reminding Belle of his previous form.
Belle licked her lips and kept her eyes on his as she called back Mrs. Potts.
"Is there something you need us for, Mrs. Potts?"
"Oh no," came the sweet reply, "I was just about to head off to bed and wondered if you needed anything before I do. A spot of tea, perhaps?"
"That is very kind thinking of us but no thank you, I'm quite alright at the moment." Belle answered politely now grinning up at Adam.
"Adam?"
His eyes narrowed even further and she stifled another laugh as she caressed the soft skin just under his eye with her thumb.
"Quite alright." He agreed politely through clenched teeth.
"Very well then! I shall bid you both a good night."
They called a goodnight after her and held their breath as they waited for her footsteps to disappear.
Then with a groan Adam collapsed on top of her, burying his face in her neck as she tilted her head back to let out a delightful peel of laughter.
"Would it truly be too much to ask for a moment of peace around here?" He groaned again as he now moved away from her, throwing himself almost dramatically to the other side of the chair.
She cast an amused smile at him. "We are in the library, darling. The staff have just as much right to this room as we do, you made sure they knew that."
"Yes alright." He grumbled in a huff.
She curled her body in towards him, raising her brow. "She has gone now...we don't have to stop."
He lifted his gaze to her but his lips only twitched in a small frown. "No," He sighed, "I'm afraid the uh...moment has gone." He ran a hand over his face. "I adore Mrs. Potts but she truly has the most impeccable timing."
Belle giggled quietly and moved to caress his cheek with the back of her hand.
She then started to fix her dress and shift her position to be more comfortable. "Well then if we are not going to resume those activities I will resume my previous one."
She looked around for the book and found it tucked between the arm and the cushion.
As she unfolded the book in her lap and tried to find her place, she stole a glance to her pouting prince.
"You are welcome to stay if you behave yourself."
His brow lifted and she smirked at him before returning to her book.
He let out another sigh and shifted his position.
As he continued to fidget around, even going so far as to poking around behind her, she furrowed her brow and looked back at him.
"Whatever are you doing?"
"Ah, here it is." He pulled up her shawl from behind her and as a sign of good faith smirked at her as he then draped it around her shoulders.
She gave him a warm smile of her own and used one hand to pull it tighter around her shoulders and then turned completely towards him to rest her head on his shoulder.
His arm came around her back and rested nicely at her hip to keep her snug against him and she moved the book so it was splayed halfway across his lap and hers.
Content in their new position, Belle resumed reading.
After a few minutes Adam's hand innocently wandered upwards to play with the loose hair that fell over her shoulders. She hummed and smiled as she snuggled further against him.
"Out of mere curiosity…" He began after a little while of silence. "What is it that attracts you so to this play? Certainly not the tragic romance. We have had our fair share of that in our own lives."
She turned her head to look up at him, raising her brow. "You believe our lives to be tragic?"
His lips twitched. "That is not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
He took in a breath. "Well I suppose in a way we were. You told me how you weren't fulfilled by your life in the village and that they didn't exactly treat you very well. We both know what I was like prior to the curse and then there was the curse itself. Living day after day in misery and hopelessness. That's quite tragic. And at first you were only trapped here because of my temper and your bravery and selflessness. Then it appeared just as happiness was in my grasp I let you go. You came back of course but those few hours were definitely the most lonely of all."
She snuggled closer to him in sympathy. "That is all behind us now. We have a good life, a happy life."
"Precisely. We have our very own happily ever after, why would you choose to subject yourself to the heartache of Romeo and Juliet?"
She chewed lightly on her lower lip in thought. "Oh I don't know...it has been my favorite long before I met you. I suppose I was drawn to the romance of it all. It intrigued me because I didn't understand. I always thought of falling in love but it was never a strong desire and certainly not to the extent of the other women in the village. They swooned and fawned over every handsome man they saw, especially Gaston." She scoffed and rolled her eyes in disgust. "They drove themselves crazy trying to get their attention, as if that was all that mattered. I did want to experience love but a more deep and profound love. Just as Juliet felt for Romeo. I thought, even if it never did experience it myself, I could at least try to see it through Juliet's eyes...a love so strong she'd be willing to die for. A love so strong that she could not possibly fathom living without him."
"They'd only just met." Even as he said it he realized the hypocrisy in his words.
So did she. "We didn't know each other for very long before we fell in love."
His lips twitched upwards at the corner. "That is true, however, I think both of us can agree it was not love at first sight for either of us."
She laughed quietly. "Oh so you mean that banging on my door demanding I join you for dinner and then upon rejection, declaring that I should starve was not a declaration of love?"
"Ah, no...not in the slightest. Not one of my finest moments either, I'm afraid."
She smiled and tilted her head to press a soft affectionate kiss to the exposed skin on his chest.
"No it wasn't but you have had plenty of moments afterward to more than make up for it." She settled her head back down on his chest and then reached for her free hand which rested on his thigh. She ran the tips of her fingers over each of his fingers. "Once you did overcome your temper, my affection for you seemed to blossom so quickly. I hardly remember it happening at all...it was just there and then it only continued to grow so by the time you let me go my heart was already lost to you."
His other hand slid back to her hip and wrapped around her to pullover closer as he dropped a tender kiss to the top of her head. "My darling Belle, I feel much the same. I cannot remember a time or place or moment that I knew I loved you. Well, that's not completely true I...knew for sure what I felt was love when I let you go. Your happiness meant more to me than my own. Before that I just simply didn't know what to make of you or how you made me feel. I suppose I didn't want to let myself hope so I could not acknowledge how I felt, even to myself but looking back, it was obvious you had stolen my heart long before that night."
She hummed, smiling as she moved her arm to slip under his and around his back, drawing her closer to him to where she practically sat on his lap.
She tucked her head under his chin and her smile widened at the sound of his strong heartbeat against her ear.
She felt completely and utterly at ease in his arms, as if it were where she had always belonged.
"I know now how Juliet feels." She mused quietly against his chest. "That deep, overwhelming, passionate love you would die for."
She felt him tense under her, his grip tightened. "Belle." His voice was deep and serious and she could feel the vibrations against her cheek. "Please do not tell me if something were to happen to me that you would even dare think of taking your own life."
"Oh, no! Of course not. I would never dare do anything so foolish." She assured him confidently and he let out a small breath of relief and relaxed again.
"I hope you would not do the same." She said.
His grip tightened around her again, more gentle. "It would me a miserable existence without you, Belle but no I would not." He paused for a moment. "Should the occasion arise, however, I would gladly give my life for yours."
Tears burned at the back of her eyes which she quickly blinked away, her chest growing tight.
"As would I." She whispered, the sincere honesty of their words hanging over them heavily.
"But let's not think about such things." She said quietly and she felt him nod in agreement.
"My point in all of this," She continued, "is just to say, I can now appreciate how Juliet feels more than ever. She may have only known him for a short while but her love for him was as true and as deep as my love for you. Their story may have ended in tragedy but it does not change their love for one another, it only solidifies it further. If," Her voice grew thick as her throat tightened, "If you had…" She paused to take a breath as her mind drifted back to that horrible time of Gaston's attack. "If you had truly died that night I would have lived on with you in my heart for the rest of my days. I did not regret a single moment of our time together and I never would have forgotten how important you had become to me. That is the love I expect Juliet felt for Romeo, that despite all she had lost and through all of the pain, she would never regret having loved him and that is why I adore the play, especially now."
Adam was quiet but she knew her words had reached him due to the increase in his breathing and heartrate. She felt him shift and then press a tender kiss to the top of her head and linger there.
"Are you suggesting…" He started quietly after a few moments of silence, "..that I am comparable to Romeo?"
She laughed at the obvious hint of disdain in his voice. She lifted her head and pulled back to smile down at him, meeting curious blue eyes behind a thin veil of emotion.
"No," She brought her hand to his cheek, "Nor am I comparing myself to Juliet. They are fictional, a mere representation of all love could be. You are real, our love is real and you are my Adam." She said softly, adoringly but her brow then twitched up as she smirked. "Far more superior than Juliet's Romeo."
A grin spread across his lips and his hand moved to the back of her head to guide her down to meet his lips.
She closed her eyes, smiling against his mouth as she responded to his kiss.
It was short and sweet but full of a love that left them gazing adoringly at each other once it was over.
"You have made very convincing points, my darling, and have certainly illuminated me to things I had never considered." He told her honestly and she smiled. "The play will never be a favorite of mine but as it is yours, it therefore must be as special as you are." He combed his fingers lightly through her hair. "My opinions on the play and of Romeo in general notwithstanding, there is one thing I must agree with him."
"What is that?" She asked, intrigued.
His eyes shined brightly up at her and her heart leapt into her throat as his voice deepened, thick with love and tender emotion as he quoted, "What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet," he trailed a finger slowly across her jaw, "is the sun."
He flattened his palm against her cheek and she leaned into his touch. "My love, have you any idea the light you have brought into my life? How I lived in darkness and torment for so long and then you came in blazing like the sun? If Romeo at all felt a fraction of what I feel for you I shall never mock his name again."
A warm smile spread across her lips. "No?" She giggled in delight. "I'm afraid I do not believe that for a moment."
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips and he chuckled quietly. "You know me too well. The very character of Romeo makes it far too easy to mock him, however, for you I will try to hold my tongue."
She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "Thank you but it's not necessary. This argument was one of our very first civil conversations. Even though you were insulting my favorite play it was such a human response that is when I first started to realize there was so much more to you. It opened the door for us to truly get to know one another. We share such common interest in most other works, I think we are allowed a few differing opinions."
"We are." He agreed with a small smile. "They have led to some very spirited debates between us."
She laughed and nodded her head.
"However, I probably do not need to be so harsh in expressing those opinions. The play means something special to you and while I may not see the particular interest, I can now understand why you do. How can I disparage something the one I Iove adores? What sort of man does that make me?"
Despite having returned to a man again and being so for nearly a year, there were still days he doubted himself, still saw himself as the monster that he used to be.
She brought her hand to his cheek and smiled lovingly. "You're a wonderful man."
He smiled in return and brought his hand to cover hers and then leaned in to kiss the inside of her palm. She giggled quietly at the soft, tickling sensation.
"And you are a wonderful wife."
She blushed and they shared another adoring smile before she leaned up to kiss him.
"Now," He cleared his throat after they pulled away a few seconds later, "I do apologize for so rudely interrupting your beloved journey to Verona."
He fished around his lap until he found the book nearly falling off the edge of the chair.
She smiled as she watched him flip through the pages, his brow furrowing ever so slightly as he tried to find the page she last left off.
Her heart warmed and she tilted her head up, leaving a soft kiss to his jaw. "I love you." She whispered and the corners of his lips turned up in response.
"There, I believe?" He placed a finger on the middle of the page under one of Romeo's lines.
Her hand slowly moved towards his and she gently brushed it aside before she reached over and closed the book.
His brow lifted in surprise. "Do you not wish to finish?"
She bit her lip as she looked up at him and shook her head.
The main reason she loved to read was because it was an escape and always a brand new adventure for her. In this moment she did not wish to escape, she wanted to be nowhere but with him.
"I do not. Not tonight." She slid the book off his lap into the small space beside him and he watched her curiously.
A slow grin spread across her face as she pulled away from him, inching towards the edge of the chair. "I do wish to finish something else, however…"
"Oh." His eyes suddenly darkened with desire and a wicked grin teased at his lips as he slowly rose off the chair to follow her movements. "I believe I can accommodate the Madame's wishes…"
She slid her hand slowly down his arm and then laced their fingers together and kept intense eye contact as she slipped off the chair and then pulled him off with her.
She let out a small, delightful squeak as he suddenly crushed her body against his and brought her in for a smothering kiss.
Her hands flew to his hair, gripping tight as his hands clawed at her hips and he let out a low growl in his throat.
Before he knew it she pulled away, flashing him a sultry grin and gripped his hand and pulled him. They hurried off together in the direction of the West Wing, Romeo and Juliet long forgotten behind them.