Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty and the Beast, there I said it.

Note: This was written by me and a friend for a psychology project. The beginning is based off of BatB stories we found online and the end is most of what we remembered from the movie. I tried to make the end more readable, at the time we were sick of writing and being the procrastinators that we are, we had no choice but to keep going. I know the story is a little… off, but it's still pretty entertaining. This was a lot of fun to write and I hope you enjoy our hard work.

Beauty And The Beast

Once upon a time…

…there was a merchant who was very successful, which made him very rich. He had a daughter who was so lovely they called her Beauty, though her real name was Belle. One day, a most unexpected misfortune befell Belle and her father. You see, Belle's father was a pyromaniac. He loved fire's warmth, he loved the soft crackle of burning wood, but most of all he loved to manipulate it. One day he was so hypnotized by the flame, he burned down his home and all his riches burned with it. Belle and her father were forced to move into a small village where he gave up his merchant ways and became an inventor.

Belle's father wasn't the only one with a compulsion. Belle was a kleptomaniac. She was often in trouble with the law. Belle loved to read and was always fighting but failing to control her impulse to steal, leading her to steal from the library. This week she read How to stop being a kleptomaniac for dummies (which she stole of course)

Today Belle's father had invented a new woodchopper/ fire starter and was going out of town to show it to a prominent investor. He bade farewell to Belle and headed into a dark and scary forest.

But Belle didn't want her father to go. A tall brute named Gaston was pressuring her into marriage. He had what we like to call an inflated ego. Belle was so beautiful that she caught his eye and no other girl was good enough for him. But she didn't want to marry him; her only love was books and the occasional joy of thievery, although she mostly thought of it as a curse.

One day while Belle ran home quickly after a small smash and grab at the local bookstore she found Buttercup, the horse her father had ridden away on with her father's invention dragging behind on a wagon. Overjoyed Belle ran inside to great her father, but she did not find him. She looked around her home and when she still couldn't find him she searched the whole village. Much to her dismay her father was nowhere to be found.

"What shall I do?" Belle cried out. But then it became clear as she walked by the local stable with the sudden urge to steal something. So Belle jumped on a horse and rode like the wind before she was seen. She headed into the woods the way she had seen her father go.

By nightfall Belle came upon a castle. Thinking that if her father ran into trouble he might have gone inside.

The castle was dark inside but she could see a candle glowing on a table. The candle had a pretty bronze finish and she just had to have it. Looking around she snuck up to the candle, blew out the flame and shoved it into her knapsack.

A moment later she heard a muffled voice. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Let me out!" Belle quickly glanced around the room looking for where the voice came from. Then her knapsack began to wiggle. She carefully opened the knapsack and looked inside. "Let me out!" Belle screamed dropping the knapsack and running behind a small step stool. The stool was soft and Belle stroked the material with her hand. The stool started kicking its leg! Startled Belle fell on her butt and backed into a corner.

"What kind of place is this?!" she wondered out loud.

"Who is inside my castle?!" a voice roared from the stairs. Belle quickly stood up and began to walk out of the corner.

"I'm sorry. I was just looking for my father. I thought maybe he would be here."

"If you mean that old man, he is my prisoner and I don't intend on letting him go. He almost caught my rug on fire!" The voice shouted. Then the figure began to walk out of the shadow and into the open. When Belle saw him she screamed and began to cry. There was a huge beast in front of her. But that wasn't the worst part, no the worst was that he had huge bald places on his face and arms.

"Take me to him!" Belle commanded with as much courage as she could muster.

"Very well, come this way." Beast led Belle down spiraling stone stairs and a long hallway. The hallway was lined with empty cells. At the end of the hallway a pair of arms could be seen reaching out towards a small, lit candle place just out of reach. The beast chuckled. He had found the old mans weakness and used it as punishment for trespassing in his home.

"Father!" Belle shouted running to the cell.

"Belle! What are you doing here?" Her father's voice was filled with concern.

"Buttercup came home and when I couldn't find you I decided to come looking for you myself. How did this happen?"

"I was attacked by wolves, after I escaped I came here for help. There was a nice fire lit, I just couldn't help myself. The candle, I tried to use it… but it talked! Can you imagine?"

Belle began to weep for her father. "Please, take me instead." She insisted. The beast hesitated for a moment thinking about it.

"Fine, but you must stay here for ever!" He yelled.

"Belle don't do it, I'm just an old man now. You have your whole life ahead of you!"

Belle thought of returning home without her father. If she went back without a him there would be no stopping Gaston from seeking her hand in marriage. "Take me." Belle commanded.

Beast grabbed Belle's father and threw him outside in the thick snow. He felt awful that Belle had sacrificed her happiness for him. He quickly made use of the horse Belle had stolen and rode home in anguish.

Belle began to sob even harder as the Beast grabbed her arm. "I am going to take you to your room now. Just to be clear this is your home now. You may go anywhere in the castle, except for the west wing."

"What's in the west wing?" Belle asked quietly.

"It's none of your business!" The beast roared.

When they arrived at Belle's bedroom Beast opened the door and pushed her inside. Once she was alone she began to cry again. Belle buried her face in her hands when suddenly she felt wood on her shoulder.

"There, there child. There is no reason to cry," a gentle voice said behind Belle. Belle turned around and saw a huge wardrobe right by her side. A look of terror washed over her face.

"What's going on? First I see a talking candle and now this! Have I gone mad?!" Belle said raising her voice.

"There is no reason to be afraid. You see, we weren't always like this." The wardrobe said. "One day, an old lady came by asking for entrance to the castle in exchange for a beautiful rose. But the prince saw her as an ugly hag and refused to let her in saying, 'I would never allow such an ugly lady to enter my castle.' Suddenly, the old lady changed into a beautiful young woman, and put a curse on the prince and the entire castle, turning him into a beast. But that wasn't all she also turned the prince into a trichotilomaniac. So whenever he got angry enough, the Beast would pull out his hair. Then the beautiful woman turned all of us servants into furniture." The wardrobe explained.

"How sad! Is there any way to break the spell?" Belle questioned.

"Yes, there is. The spell can be broken if someone falls in love with Beast in the form he's in now." The wardrobe answered. After a brief pause she added, "now lets get you ready for dinner."

Days past and Belle still didn't know what was in the west wing. She had gone nearly everywhere in the castle taking little trinkets as she went immediately hiding them in her room. One night she wandered off and curiosity got the best of her. She found herself wandering down the forbidden west wing. Belle found herself drawn to a room at the end of the hallway, when she entered the it she saw a beautiful rose sitting on a desk covered by a glass lid. Suddenly Belle got an urge to take the rose. She knew she shouldn't but the urge was so strong she reached out to it and began to take the lid off it. Right at that moment Beast was shoving the glass lid down over the beautiful rose snarling at Belle.

"I told you never to come in here!" Beast growled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Was all Belle could say.

"GET OUT!" Beast roared. Belle quickly left the room and returned to her own room in tears. Behind her she heard Beast shouting, she knew he was pulling out more of his hair.

Feeling bad Beast invited Belle down to dinner. When she arrived she saw Beast had pulled out large patches of fur. Beast smiled nervously at Belle. There was a soup bowl sitting in front of them. Belle picked up a fork and quickly pocketed it watching Beast carefully so that he wouldn't see. She then picked up the spoon and started eating her soup. A loud lapping sound came from the other end of the table. Belle looked up a saw Beast drinking his soup like some kind of animal. He felt her gaze on him and looked up. There was soup was all over his fur. He laughed nervously and picked dried his face in a napkin. He then picked up the spoon and attempted to eat his soup in a more civilized manner. Belle laughed as she watched Beast. Her laughter angered him and he began pulling clumps of fur from his side. As he calmed down a little he now heard slurping coming from Belle's side of the table. She was holding the bowl to her face and drinking the soup. Beast chuckled quietly and did the same.

During the winter Belle and Beast learned to cope with each other's disorders. Beast showed Belle a huge library of books, they played in the snow together and danced at a ball. Everything was wonderful until Beast showed Belle the magical mirror.

"Show me my father." Belle ordered the mirror. She missed him terribly and longed to see him again. An image appeared on the mirror that Belle did not like. Her father was very ill. She began to cry, not knowing what to do.

"Leave, he needs you." The Beast said quietly. Belle didn't want to leave Beast alone but she knew she had to take care of her father. "Take the mirror, that way you will always be able to see me." She took the mirror gratefully.

When she arrived back home she found her father in prison.

"Why is he in here? He's sick cant you see that?!" Belle screamed.

"He's crazy, he was raving about a beast!" Gaston replied.

"But there is a Beast!"

Gaston grinned. "She's insane too! We should lock her up with her father!"

"Beast is real and I'll prove it!" Belle said while pulling out the mirror. "Show me Beast!" Belle commanded the mirror. The image of Beast appeared on the mirror. "See!" Belle shouted showing the mirror to town.
The town became frightened. Above all the commotion Gaston yelled, "We must kill the beast!"

"NO!" Belle screamed. But it was too late. The town was already getting ready. They grabbed weapons and began marching up to the castle. Belle had to hurry and get back to the castle, Belle snatched the guards keys when no one was watching and made her escape with her father. She had to warn Beast. Knowing her way to the castle better than the townspeople, she made it there first. She warned the furniture of what was happening. They prepared themselves to fight. Soon the town was smashing the door down. Quickly, Belle went to go find Beast. When the towns people finally got through the door the room was silent. The only thing out of ordinary was the furniture. Somehow it all seemed misplaced. When the towns people got in far enough the furniture attacked at will.

"Beast! I'm so sorry!" Belle yelled when she found Beast, leaping into his arms. "I didn't mean to lead them here, I was just trying to prove my father wasn't crazy." Beast gaze was sad. He was about to speak when he felt a sharp pain in his back. Her roared and spun around to face Gaston who was reloading a crossbow. Beast lunged at Gaston knocking him down. Gaston lost his grasp on the crossbow sending it flying across the room. Belle was horrified, Beast was so distressed when she left he picked his whole side raw. There was a loud crash, the sound of their fight going through a glass window. Belle shrieked. Beast looked at Belle to find out what was wrong receiving a blow from Gaston's fist as a reward for caring. The fight continued on for what seemed like an eternity. Beast had been stabbed in the side by Gaston when he lost his footing on the roof. But having such an inflated ego Gaston soon fell to his doom. The fight was won, but unfortunately Beast had been mortally wounded. Belle ran to Beast in tears. She declared her love for him just as the last rose petal fell. After a few devastating moments Beast began rising into the air. Beams of light came from his fingers, toes, eyes, and mouth and he turned into a handsome man. The bald spots on his head from him pulling out his hair disappeared as well. And as the curse lifted Beast was cured of his trichotilomania and all the furniture changed back into human beings, except for the footstool; which turned into a dog Even with Belle's kleptomania urges Belle and Beast lived happily ever after.