Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts made their way to the West Wing balcony as quickly as they could after hearing the roar. They had heard their master roar hundreds of times, but this seemed agonized...like the owner of the roar was being tortured. Out of breath, they stopped just before reaching the balcony, not prepared for the scene before them.

Belle guided the Beast onto the floor of the balcony, a deep and bleeding wound was in his flank. The infliction of this wound, the staff surmised, must have been responsible for provoking the roar. Kneeling beside him, Belle ran her fingers through his mane.

"You..." The Beast struggled to speak. Quite frankly, he struggled to breathe. "You came back."

"Of course I came back. I couldn't let them..." Belle embraced his large head as the consequences of the error she'd made earlier that evening sank in. "Oh this is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner."

The Beast thought the pain of being stabbed physically with a dagger couldn't be topped. But being emotionally stabbed in the heart with her words of self-blame was much worse. He wanted to ask her why she assigned responsibility to herself for what happened, but he was fading fast. He had only time to try to console her.

"Maybe...it's better...it's better this way." Unfortunately, his attempt at consolation didn't work.

"Don't talk like that! You'll be all right. We're together now, everything's going to be fine, you'll see."

But the horrible pain, the continued bleeding, and the ever-increasing struggle to stay conscious told the Beast otherwise. He brought a massive paw to her face, whether another attempt at consolation, or simply to feel her face and hair once more, or both, he did not know.

"At...at least...I got to see you...one last time."

Belle took his paw in her hands. She held it, even after it dropped from her face. The Beast's eyes rolled back, then closed. He exhaled what seemed his final breath as his head fell back to its side. Belle dropped his paw, which fell limply by his side. She was in shock at what had just happened.

"No...no! Please...please...please don't leave me!" She collapsed on his chest, sobbing.

Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, and Cogsworth watched as the final rose petal fell to the table. They turned back sullenly to the hopeless scene on the balcony. Then they heard the words from Belle that all in the castle had waited ten years to hear.

"I love you."

Too bad the words that were longed for for ten years were about ten seconds too late. And not only had they lost the chance to become human again, but they also lost the master that they had stopped fearing in the recent months, and had actually grown quite fond of. Yes, while they didn't love him in the way that would break the spell, they still loved him.

Suddenly, a glow of light appeared next to Belle. The light dimmed, and hovering there was the enchantress.

"Beast..." Her voice was gentle. "Beast, wake up."

The Beast's eyes fluttered open, and he lifted his head weakly to look at Belle and the enchantress. Belle also looked up at the figure that hovered beside her. This wasn't exactly what the Beast wanted to see...or was it? Had she come to lift the curse, or to further torture him? He gave a moan, Belle figured it was pain, and there was pain of course, but the moan came from fear. What was going to happen next?

"Well Beast, I have some good news for you, and I have some bad news." The enchantress paused for a few seconds. "I hate to give you bad news in your current condition, but I'm afraid I have no choice. And while most prefer the bad news before the good, it would only make sense if I gave you the good news first. Are you ready?"

"Go...ahead." The Beast's head dropped to the floor, but he remained conscious.

"The good news is that you have fulfilled the requirements I issued ten years ago. You have learned to love another, and while you were not conscious to hear, she confessed her love for you."

The Beast managed a weak smile. He lifted his head, then a paw. His smile faded as he realized that it was still, well, a paw.

"And the bad news is..."

"Let me guess..." The Beast said, letting his paw fall back to his side, having studied it enough. "Not in time?"

"It was just seconds after the last petal of the rose hit the table." The enchantress said with a sympathetic nod. "I suppose you consider me evil for what I did."

"No...no." The Beast shook his head slightly. "I'm the one who was evil that night. And I doubt much would have changed had you not intervened."

"Beast?" The gentle voice of Belle entered his ears. "May I ask...what is she talking about? What happened?"

The Beast wasn't sure he was physically, or emotionally strong enough to relay the story. He felt like he could lose consciousness again at any moment.

"Tell her...go ahead and tell her." The enchantress said. "There is a reason for my visit, and I am keeping you conscious, and preventing you from losing any more strength for the time being, at least until that reason has been established. You're weak, but if you go slowly you will be able to get it out. Physically that is."

"Well..." The Beast took one of Belle's hands in one of his paws. Would she understand? Would she still love him? Either way, he owed her an explanation, and if he would be physically able to do it, he would just have to summon the emotional strength. "It is very painful...emotionally. Never have I told anyone, even when I had no remorse other than my own self-pity. Now I have loads of remorse, and not just for myself. So please, be patient with me."

Belle drew his paw close to her, holding it against her heart. Feeling its steady beat against his paw seemed to strengthen him somewhat, enough to summon some courage to continue. His deep blue eyes were filled with shame and guilt.

"Belle...ten years ago, it was Christmas night actually. I was...only eleven, but...my parents were long dead, and the servants were raising me. Well, not so much raising me, but...catering to my every whim. I was...horrible...selfish...spoiled...and I judged by appearances. I despised...everything ugly. And by ugly, I mean...everything...and...everyone that looked ugly. And I never had any...consequences for my callous actions." He took many pauses because of the physical pain from the battle, and the emotional pain from recounting the events. He squeezed his eyes shut, only opening them when he was sure that tears would not come forth. That was hard to get out, and that was the easy part of the story. It would only get harder from here. "Well...on Christmas night...in the middle of the celebration...my celebration...I wish I could say the staff...could celebrate too...but they were obligated to meet...my high demands...it...it was for my enjoyment...not theirs...and I regret that...I was so hard...so demanding. Anyway...there was a knock at the door...it was an old beggar woman. She asked for shelter for the night...with a rose offered as payment. She...well, the was ugly...a perfect example of what I hated. So I turned her away. She warned me not to judge by appearances...but to look for inner beauty...but...I...shut her out again. Suddenly...the doors opened...and she transformed into the enchantress you see beside you. I tried to apologize, but she had seen...that I had no...love in my heart. So she transformed me into a Beast...the staff into the objects that you've met...even the dog didn't escape the curse...he became the footstool. And the magnificent castle...well...it...became the...dark and gloomy place that has been...your home for the last several months. The only thing that could...break the curse...was for me to learn to love another...and earn her love in return...which I did tonight...but..." He couldn't go on. He knew Belle would feel guilty for not confessing her love sooner...she already felt guilty for not getting to the castle sooner to prevent Gaston's attack. But Belle was able to finish.

"But it had to happen before the last petal fell...? Oh Beast...I wish I'd known...I would have confessed my love sooner."

"Belle...do not blame yourself." The Beast said. "It wouldn't have been right for you to have been told. At...at best, you would have felt obligated. At worst, simply...as a tool. A thing that I...was using. And while I might have viewed it that way...when you first arrived...once I did learn to love...I no longer viewed it that way...I just couldn't. My love for you would not...allow me to use you...or make you feel obligated. So...please...don't blame yourself."

At this point, the enchantess spoke.

"There is something I can do. You would have died had I not intervened...and you cannot survive without my help...without what's currently keeping you alive now. You have a choice. Though it is too late to break the spell, and I can only give you an instant healing by breaking the spell, I can make it so that you will heal with time...with Belle's love and care. But you'll always be a Beast. Or, when I go I can take the power sustaining you, and you'll be dead within moments. You're choice."

This was hard on the Beast. Since Belle left, he lost his will to live, knowing what state he'd remain in for the rest of his life. That was why he never fought Gaston until Belle arrived. But now that Belle was back...well, if she loved him, and she obviously did, she wouldn't want him to die, and she obviously didn't. But then Belle spoke.

"I'm sure you don't want to stay alive with me...I was selfish in begging you not to leave...not to die. I'm sure you don't want to live with the one who caused Gaston to come after you."

This broke the Beast's heart. Why was she blaming herself?

"Belle...I do not want you blaming yourself for the attack." He said.

At this, Belle began to sob. If only he understood.

"Beast...the attack...it was all my fault. Totally my fault."

"Why do you say that?" The Beast whispered. "Why do you assign blame to yourself?"

"Beast..." Belle paused to compose herself. "When you let me go to find my father in the woods and tend to his illness, I took the mirror at your request." There were a few moments of silence as she realized some background was needed. "In the village where I'm from...the people think I'm odd for my love of books. They also think my father is crazy...insane. There was one guy there though. Everyone idolized him. Except me...I saw right through him. He judged by appearances, much like you once did. It was Gaston...the one who attacked you. He was obsessed with getting my nose out of my books, and obsessed with having me as his bride. The day I found my father at the castle, just hours before in fact, Gaston came to my home and...proposed marriage. Well, he was so full of himself, thinking he's such hot stuff, so sure that I would accept, that he had the whole village outside waiting. When I turned him down, and he had me backed against the door...I opened the door, trying to politely decline...and well, he was leaning against the door to corner me, and as I ducked out of the way he wound up in a mud puddle, just as the band, no doubt sure I was coming out with him, started playing 'here comes the bride'. Shortly after they were gone, Phillippe, our horse came home, but of course Papa wasn't with him. So I came searching for him, that's how I found the castle. Anyway, when I left with the mirror, I found my father and got him home. He soon woke up, and there was a knock at the door. It was the director of the insane asylum, coming for my father. The whole village was there, talking about how he was crazy, and talking about a Beast. He...he must have gone back to the village and told them that I was held captive by a Beast. Well Gaston...keep in mind he has a lot of influence in the village, and I believe orchestrated this whole thing to get to me, told me that he would have my father released...if...I agreed to marry him. I was so disgusted...without thinking I said I would never do that. They were haulting my father away. Again...without thinking, I ran back into the house and grabbed the mirror. I ran back out and showed you to them. I believe Gaston realized the way I talked about you, I was trying to alleviate the fears of the villagers by saying you were kind and gentle...my friend...I think he realized that you were a rival for my affections. He rallied the mob to storm the castle, saying how you would come into the village and eat the children. But that wasn't his real reason for wanting to kill you. He wanted you out of his way, so he could have me, now that his plan to have Papa committed flopped when I proved his sanity. I wanted to warn you...but they through Papa and I in the cellar, and it wasn't until..." She paused, realizing she shouldn't be betraying Chip by letting on that he has stowed away and come home with her. He was back at the castle now, and she didn't want him in any trouble. "It wasn't until we were able to escape, which took so long, once we did escape we mounted Phillippe and got here as fast as we could...all the villagers were gone but Gaston had you at the edge of the roof about to strike you with his club. Had I not shown them the mirror...this wouldn't have happened to you."

"Belle..." The Beast reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. "Gaston sounds much like I was...and much like what I would have become had the spell not been cast, had you not come into my life and changed me. While I wouldn't have minded that, now in retrospect I would not have wanted to become that. And it disgusts me...what he did to you. And your father. You don't deserve that. And you know, just as well as I do...that you would do anything to keep him from being locked up. I saw that the day you arrived. You may have initially refused to go along with his plan, but had you not had that mirror, had not been able to prove your father's sanity, you would have caved. You would have agreed to marry him, though your heart was not with him and he did not truly love you. If he loved you...he wouldn't have done this to you. He would have respected your wishes. But he didn't love you, and you would have submitted yourself as his pris...as his wife...well yes, as his prisoner, for your father's freedom. Am I not correct?"

Belle nodded, for she knew he was right.

"Belle...I released you tonight...told you you were no longer my prisoner. In truth, you haven't been my prisoner for...a long time. Several weeks at least. I was wrong to take you...your father originally...hostage. Neither of you deserve to be held hostage. In a castle by a Beast...in an insane asylum...or as the wife of someone who does not love and respect you. If it takes me being wounded...even killed...to keep you two free...then so be it. If I ever found out that you were held captive by the likes of Gaston...by one who does not love you, in order to keep your father free...well I don't know what I'd do. I'm pretty sure I'd either come after him which would have led to a fight anyway...or...or I'd perhaps throw myself off the highest point of the castle roof. Do not blame yourself for what happened to me. I love you too much for you to be forced to marry someone you do not love...or for your father to be committed to the asylum."

"So..." Belle leaned close to him, embracing his head. "You...forgive me?"

"Belle, if you had done anything wrong, of course I would forgive you. But you did nothing to require forgiveness. I'm the one who has done wrong, and should be asking for forgiveness. And...I owe your father...and you...an apology."

He then spoke to the enchantress. While just a short time ago he wanted to die because of his fate, he knew Belle would be terribly hurt by his passing. And he also knew he couldn't give Maurice the apology he said he owed, if he was dead.

"Madame...I choose life, please."

"Okay, it's a deal. On the condition that Belle nurses you back to health. I'm making it so that you can survive your otherwise fatal wound...as long as she tends to you, and makes sure you get the care you need, however long it may take."

And with that, the enchantress disappeared.