AN: Hello, people! Well, my visit to the UK has come to an end! TheCrownedLioness and I had an incredible time, and we are looking forward to the next time we can see each other. Anyway, after having watched the live action version of "The Beauty and The Beast" we decided to create our own little AU, where a certain brainy Blonde and a blue-eyed beast will learn that appearances can be deceiving, for beauty is found within. Just to let you know, we are working with the movie's script, for we decided to use and adapt both scenes and dialogues to use in our story. Nothing belongs to us, we just borrowed these wonderful characters for a little while.

Enjoy!

H&L

Prologue

The castle was quiet that time of night. A lot of the servants had retired for the evening, or were at least down in the kitchens finishing up the last of the cleaning from the night's dinner. A few were still hurrying along the lower corridors, and bowed or curtsied as he passed, bidding them goodnight, but he was otherwise by himself.

C.C. had retired early, claiming fatigue, and left him to walk alone. He didn't mind so much, even if it was slightly lonely and made him reminiscent of the years spent wandering the halls by himself. Her tiredness was more important. There would be other occasions for romantic walks in the gardens. Other occasions for more romantic things than just walking in the gardens, too...

He was thankful the corridor was empty, otherwise the smile on his face at the thought of his wife in his arms might have produced strange looks in others. It made him hurry towards their rooms, too. He wanted to be next to her as soon as possible; even if she was too tired for what he was thinking about, just being by her side made him feel good, and helped him to sleep.

He could see the door just ahead, and almost couldn't contain his happiness as he picked up his pace to turn the handle...

He was surprised, upon opening the door and stepping inside, to find C.C. sat before the room's fireplace, their little Amelia in her arms. Before her, there were two prams – one Amelia's, the other new and unfamiliar. C.C. beamed at him as he entered, to which he almost considered raising an eyebrow. She didn't seem exhausted at all, and where had this new pram come from?

"Ordered another pram for our little one, my love?" he asked. "I didn't think she'd yet worn out the one we currently have."

"No she hasn't," his wife said, giving him a sort of playful smile. "Actually her pram is still in perfect conditions."

He could sense she was up to something both by her tone and by her frolicsome demeanour, which was somewhat odd considering how worn out she'd appeared during dinner. Truth to be told, he'd noticed she had been particularly fatigued as of late, but she'd dismissed his concerns claiming that it was nothing. Be that as it may, he'd decided to call the royal physician if she continued feeling unwell, but judging by her spirited moods, it wasn't going to be necessary! The colour which so often fled her face, had returned and she hadn't looked so lively and full of energy in months.

Although his wife had always favoured wearing slightly more racy nightwear in the privacy of their chambers, tonight she had chosen to use a particularly loose and demure nightgown, which was a bit of an oddity as well. He wasn't about to mention it, though; she could be wearing a sack of potatoes and she'd still be the most beautiful woman on the face of this Earth.

"Hm," he affected a pensive look, "then I am afraid I have to ask you; why are we in need of a new pram?"

She didn't reply immediately. Instead, she gestured for him to close the door and then, once it was closed, for him to come sit by her side. Their one year old was safely snuggled in her arms and fast asleep – a sight that he still thanked the heavens for. Once, he had believed that he would never have a family of his own, but the wonderful woman sat in front of him had turned the impossible into his beautiful reality.

In order to be more comfortable, he toed off his shoes and discarded his cutaway tailored coat, waistcoat, stockings and breeches. Now he was only clad in his underwear and undress shirt. He'd been craving to do this for hours, and the prospect of a tranquil evening with his wife filled him with a warm sense of belonging that he'd come to cherish. Married life was truly blissful, and it suited him well.

So, now properly dressed for a quiet evening, he leisurely walked over to his wife and sat by her side before draping an arm around her.

"Tell me, lover, what are prams for?" she asked as she nestled into him, not giving him time to ask anything else after he'd settled down.

"Why, for small children to sleep in them, of course!" he replied amusedly.

"So, if we have two prams and one of them belongs to our daughter, who do you think the second one belongs to?"

There was a momentary blip in the conversation and his eyebrows knitted in confusion. What on Earth was she talking about? They only had one child, so how could he know who was the owner of that second pra-

Oh...

Right.

He couldn't help noticing the fastening of his heartbeat and his deep intake of air when realisation finally washed over him. His whole body was trembling and time seemed to have slowed down almost to a standstill. Could she really be...?

Almost as if she'd been reading his mind, C.C. reached out for his hand and guided it to her abdomen, where he felt the outline of a small (but clearly distinguishable) bump lying just underneath the fabric of her nightgown. He began to laugh, softly and breathlessly – it was a sound that even to him spoke volumes of his wonder, and excitement.

He looked between her abdomen and her shining eyes, triumph and happiness written all over her face.

"You...you really mean-"

She nodded and answered before he could say any more, "That's right. There's going to be another little prince or princess running around this castle!"

Another little prince or princess! Their two children, to hold and adore...The very thought made tears spring to his eyes, and he closed the gap between their lips to kiss his wife, pouring into it all the love and affection he could possibly muster.

He pulled away and used the arm around her to hug her tighter, "I love you, so very much..."

"I love you too," she murmured in reply, looking between him, their still-sleeping eldest daughter, and the place where he had felt her bump. "We all do."

He laughed again, tears still leaking from his bright blue eyes. The eyes she had fallen in love with, even when they'd been hidden in the body of a beast. Back then, he'd thought himself to be unlovable and incapable of loving someone back, but not only had she proved him wrong, but she'd also made him the happiest man on this Earth in the process.

"It seems our Petite Fleur will have a little brother and sister in...?"

"Six months," she completed. "I knew something was up when I missed my period for two consecutive months, but I decided to wait one extra month before telling you, just to be cautious."

Well, it sounded like his wife to be cautious. In any case, he was grateful for the wonderful fact that she was pregnant once again. He wanted to have as many children as possible with her, and they had the time, the money, the inclination and the room to raise them all. He was determined to be the best father he could be, even if the ghost of his own father still haunted him, like a menacing shadow hanging over him. He didn't want to repeat his mistakes, but as his wife so often reminded him, he wasn't his father – he'd changed.

"You are wonderful," he said and kissed her on the lips. "Absolutely wonderful!"

"And so are you," C.C. replied, kissing him back eagerly.

However, all the affection going on in the room woke a now fussy Amelia up, and she was quick to make her discomfort known in the form of small whimpers.

"Oh... no, Petite Fleur, don't you cry," Niles said, pulling away from C.C. to take his eldest – eldest! – child in his arms. "Papa is here."

"We are trying to get her to sleep, not to cry harder," his wife teased.

"Oh, hush," he pretended to scold as he bounced the little girl. But then he feigned relenting. "I'm allowing you that one, because you just gave me the best news a man could ever receive."

He turned the little princess around so she was sat facing C.C. on his knee, continuing to jog it up and down to make her giggle.

And giggle she did – their little one wasn't an unhappy child, unless she was woken abruptly or if she was hurt, and the two parents loved hearing the sound of her playing happily.

"You're going to be a big sister, Petite Fleur," he crooned, kissing the curls on the top of her head. "You're going to have someone to play with, and who'll love you like your Mama and Papa do..."

C.C. watched the scene in front of her with a smile; she adored her husband, and their daughter and unborn child. She knew that they'd love however many children they had, and that family time would be no less precious – no less her favourite time – however many people were there.

But it was late, and their little princess did need to be put to bed.

"And Mama has something very special for you," she half-whispered, wiggling one of Amelia's feet with a finger and thumb. "A very special bedtime story, all about love, and princes and princesses, and a very special, very important flower."

Niles quirked an eyebrow at her words. He knew which story she was talking about, but he had never thought she'd use it as a bedtime story for one of their children. He supposed there was no harm in them knowing – sooner or later, they'd find out about how they'd fallen in love – but he couldn't help feeling somewhat... surprised. They always told their child a story before putting her to bed, but they'd never told her about their very own fairy-tale.

He wasn't about to let his uneasiness come in the way of his wife's storytelling, though. Instead, he moved closer to her and placed their baby on his lap as he wrapped an arm around his wife.

"Once upon a time, in the hidden heart of France, a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle," C.C. began in a soft, yet enthralling, voice.

It was almost funny to see just how interested Amelia was in her mother's words, even if the child was still too young to understand what was being told to her. He also knew that the attention span of a toddler wasn't exactly long, but his wife had always had a talent to catch everyone's attention without even trying, and their child clearly was not an exception.

"Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was selfish and unkind," she continued, "He taxed the village to fill his castle with the most beautiful objects. And his parties with the most beautiful people. Then one night an unexpected intruder arrived at the castle, seeking shelter from the bitter storm. As a gift, she offered the prince, a single rose."

C.C.'s voice suddenly became grave and mysterious, "Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince turned the woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. When he dismissed her again, the old woman's outward appearance melted away, to reveal a beautiful enchantress."

Niles pursed his lips, he remembered this part as if it had happened yesterday.

But he still wasn't going to interrupt, even if he was ashamed of how he had behaved before. He knew it was in the past, and wasn't going to let it affect their present. Besides, his wife's voice (not just when telling stories) was one he could never bring himself to speak over.

"The prince begged for forgiveness," she continued, a growing tension in her tone. "But it was too late."

Even though he knew all of this, Niles still felt his heart sink. Not just because it was his story, but because C.C. had such a talent at making the words come to life. It made listening so easy, it was almost impossible not to.

"For she had seen that there was no love in his heart," she looked up at Niles, and automatically moved as close as she could possibly get to him. "As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there."

A very powerful spell, Niles thought, continuing to listen.

"As days bled into years, the prince and his servants were forgotten by the world," C.C. stroked her daughter's hair, touching the tips of her fingers against her cheeks. "For the enchantress had erased all memory of them, from the minds of the people they loved."

Niles knew exactly what was coming next, and he could only remain transfixed, with hope – a hope he knew had already come to pass, really – swelling in his heart.

His wife really did have a gift at this.

"But the rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose. If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time."

Niles couldn't help the small sigh that left his lips. Sometimes, when he looked back on his days as a beast, he was invaded by an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. Even if he now was a father and happily married man, he was still affected by the scars left by his lonely years as a beast.

"As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?" he completed, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

There was a short silence which C.C. used to hold him close and to stroke his chest with her bejewelled hand – she knew her touch soothed him.

"But this is not a sad story," she continued, kissing his neck. "For many years later, a beacon of hope arrived to a small provincial town not far away from the prince's castle. This beacon of hope happened to be a young maiden, who was seen as a bit of an oddball by the townsfolk. They would say she was strange and that she always had her head up on some cloud."

"But what they didn't know," he spoke, entwining their hands and smiling down at his wife, who had lain her head on his shoulder. "Was that she was a woman far ahead of her time..."