Author's note: The story is inspired by these horror/dark pictures an artist on deviant art has made (unfortunately I can't remember the artist's name). Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite Disney movies, and even though I absolutely LOVE the original, I kind of dig the idea of taking such relatively innocent movies as Disney and give them a dark, twisted and scary end. Enjoy!

BTW sorry for the linguistic and grammatical mistakes in the story; English is not my first language.

Belle helped Adam up from the balcony's reeling and they embraced. Oh how she had missed him! She took a small step back, not wanting to be too far away from him, but she really needed to get a good look at him. For too many nights she had been away from him, locked up in that bloody cellar while Gaston had planned the attack on the castle alongside the other townspeople. She didn't regret she'd left, but that she hadn't come back sooner. She regretted she hadn't been strong enough to get out of the cellar. She regretted she hadn't been strong enough to prevent Gaston from killing her father.

But she was here now, in his arms, where she belonged. She smiled at him and caressed his cheek, while she let her eyes drink in his posterior. He didn't even look like a Adam to her anymore…

"Are you okay?!" she asked anxious as she started to realize just how many places his fur was caked with blood.

"I'm fine. If you're referring to the blood, it's only minor scratches. What about you?" he asked as he softly caressed the outlines of a big nasty bruise, which adorned her cheekbone – a present from Gaston.

"Oh this is nothing – you should see what I did him," she said and smiled - which was the truth. When Gaston had struck her, even though she had been tied to a chair, she had been able to kick him in the nuts. One of the few satisfactory moments she had gotten in her captivity.

After that Gaston had – in his own words – "put aside all personal feelings for her" in order to get her to tell the location of Adam's castle. But no matter what – no matter how many times he'd beat, raped, starved and humiliated her, she hadn't budged.

But in the end, it had all been in vain. In the end they had found the castle anyway.

But Gaston wasn't done with her. Right before he and the townspeople had left, he had dragged her father down and plunged a knife into his stomach without warning. He'd left Maurice on the floor, to die in front of Belle. What Gaston hadn't known, though, was the strength Maurice'd found within himself in his last minutes. He'd managed to crawl to Belle and untie her, so she was able to get to Adam. She'd sat with him until his eyes closed and he was no more. With a vision blurred with tears she had made her way to stables, saddled Philipe and made the horse run as fast as his legs could carry them. She had arrived at the castle rather quickly and made her way to the roofs where Adam was hanging from a balcony; clinging on for dear life. Even though there were fights everywhere, she made it to him rather unseen, but the things she had witnessed…

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Adam… Miss Potts… She's… she's…"

"Shhh, I know." His voice was thick with grief over the loss of his foster mother.

"And Chip… and … and …" she started sopping and Adam embraced her.

"I know," he repeated, and when Belle looked up, she saw tears in his eyes. She wiped them away and smiled sadly. How would they ever move on from all this death?

Suddenly a movement behind Adam caught her eye, and she felt her heart drop in fear.

Gaston was sneaking up on him with a raised knife.

"No!" she screamed and without thinking she pushed Adam out the way as Gaston jumped. Not able to react fast enough, Gaston ended up stabbing Belle in the chest. The pain made her knees buckle and she fell to ground. Gaston let out a horrified cry, while Adam roared. For a second they both stood frozen; then Gaston looked at Adam and sneered:

"Look what you made me do!" He jumped over Belle's dying body and lounged at Adam. Weighed down with fear and anxiety for Belle's life Adam had difficulties fighting off Gaston. And while the two enemies where locked in combat, Belle felt the life leaving her body with the blood that flowed from the wound in her chest.

She was starting to feel cold. Dark spots danced around the edges of her field of vision…

Looking up, she felt a raindrop on her forehead, soon followed by friends.

Well if this is how I go, she thought, it could have been worse. I died for the man I love. And at least I got see him one more time.

Suddenly a roar that went right through you made her force her eyes to open. She looked towards Adam and Gaston. The vision that met her, made her heart freeze. Adam was on his knees, hunched over with his arms wrapped around his stomach. Blood was dripping from underneath in an alarming speed. Gaston was laughing maniacally as he raised the knife to and gave the final stroke. Adam fell to ground and moved no more.

"No…" She had wanted to shout, but all that came out was a hoarse feeble sound.

Hate and a need for revenge welled up inside her; she had to get on her feet. She had to stop Gaston's mad killing spree. Too many people had died; too many people had suffered, all because of his vanity and jealousy.

But she couldn't get up. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how strong her feelings were her body was too weak. Too much blood she had lost. No matter how much she struggled, the darkness was coming, her eyes were getting heavy. The serenity she had felt moments before were gone, replaced by a hatred so strong it consumed her.

Still, it couldn't fight of the inevitable. Her mind got foggy and she was having difficulties in holding on to a coherent thought.

But just as she was about to pass out, she heard someone whisper her name.

"Belle…" It wasn't a voice she had heard before. "Belle… "The pain in her chest disappeared. "Belle…" The darkness went away and the fog in her head subsided. "Open your eyes." The voice was very compelling, almost hypnotic, which rendered her defenceless to its commands. Her eyes opened, almost on their own accord and, leaned over her, was an old beggar woman in a brown cape. (It was the same woman who had cursed Adam all those years ago, but Belle of course didn't know that at the time)

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"I'm the only hope you have for saving your beloved beast and stopping Gaston."

"How?"

"I'm able to heal your wounds and bring you back to life. But you'll have to make a great sacrifice if this is the path you choose."

"Name your price, woman."

"You'll have to give up your humanity." Belle looked at her for a second then started laughing.

"Is that your price?! Is that all? Fine you can have it! What's the point in having humanity in world where people behave like this? Take it old woman and let me get my revenge. And bring Adam back to me." The woman nodded and disappeared just as lightning crossed the sky; one of them right above the castle. It struck Belle in the heart – it should have electrocuted her. But instead it did something… something else. Her blood was boiling; the pain unbearable. She tried to scream, but her mouth wouldn't open.

And then… almost as quickly as it had begun, the pain was gone.

Belle rose. She looked down at the wound in her chest, which were now gone, replaced by a ragged scar. Her eyes went to Gaston who was now dragging away with Adam's body. He had a noose around his neck to help him carry it. When Adam began to wake up, the rope broke, which made Gaston fly forward and almost hit the door. He turned around and started gathering the rope, but as soon as he saw it was broken he turned his attention to Adam.

The scream that left him when he saw the prince was alive, almost made Belle giggle. After all his bragging about his manhood, he screamed like a little girl. When Adam stood, Gaston turned around and bolted for the balcony-door. Belle cut him off. All colour left his face when he saw she too was alive. His eyes darted to her chest; she could see the difficulty his mind had with processing what unfolded for his eyes.

He looked back at Adam – or Beast was actually more suitable for ham now; like Belle, he seemed to have lost all humanity – it was like looking into the eyes of a demonic animal.

"But… But…" stuttered Gaston, "I stabbed you. You died. I saw you die! Where's your wound? I know there was a wound. There's still blood on your dress!"

"Apparently I have a guardian angel," Belle said and took a step forward. Gaston backed

"How can you be alive? Are you even alive? You're walking and talking, but you look dead." Belle looked at her reflection in the window next to her. Gaston was right, she looked dead: her skin was alabaster and there was no light in her eyes, which had turned bright red. She laughed – even though she didn't know why – and turned her attention back to her victim.

"Guess my guardian angel didn't come from above." She advanced once more, and Gaston took another step away from her, but this time he stepped right into Beast, who seized his arms. Gaston began to struggle.

"Let me go! What do you want to do to me?! Please let me go!" He pleaded, almost sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Gaston, but that won't happen. It's time for you to pay for all the harm you have done, for all the lives you have taken."

"Belle, please…" he sobbed, "Be merciful."

"Merciful?! Merciful?! You want me to be merciful? Was that what you were when you kept me in that basement? When you tortured, beat, raped and starved me?! Was that what you were when you killed my father? When you killed me or when you killed Adam?! No Gaston, you haven't been merciful, not even a single time and for that you shall pay."

For hours to come, right until the sun rose, Belle made Gaston pay for what he did. And when he finally succumbed to death's merciful grip, Beast threw his body into the abyss. They watched it fall until the darkness absorbed what was left of their victim. Then they looked at each for the first time that night. They had both lost what had once made them human, but that didn't matter; all that mattered was that they had each other and they got their revenge.

She stroked his cheek and said: "Come my darling, let's find your friends." Beast hummed in agreement.

Blood-soaked hand in blood-soaked hand, they searched the castle for survivors.

There were none.

The townspeople had outnumbered the castles inhabitants by such great a number, they didn't stand a chance. Blood and cut off limbs where everywhere; when their friends had died, the curse had been lifted. Belle kneeled by Lumiéres maimed body. She knew she was supposed to be heartbroken, but the only thing she could feel was hatred. She looked up at Beast and saw he felt the same way.

They could not cry for their friends, but they could avenge them.