A new story y'all! Yeah. So, I have this idea in my head since like August. It came to me while I was on vacation but I was finishing Imaginary so I pushed it aside for a bit. But now, now I have it all mapped out and I am excited to write it.

So, this is a Beauty and the Beast/Inception AU. It is a little different, like, it is sort of a mix between the Disney movie and Beastly, even though I have never seen that movie. I sort of based Arthur's look on that in some sorts.

Also, each chapter will alternate between Arthur and Eames' POV. This chapter is in Arthur's.

Anyways, I do not own anything. Inception belongs to Chris Nolan. Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney

Chapter 1: The Curse

Arthur walked into the huge ballroom of the city hall where the party was being held at. The ballroom was packed full of men and women all conjugating together and telling pointless stories to try and make them look better. It was all rather pointless. He really did not want to be here but he had to keep up appearances. He was Arthur Callahan, and Arthur Callahan always went to parties like this. Always. But Arthur really comes to these parties because he can and Saito likes to show off his best employee. Arthur didn't really care too much because he did like to be noticed. But some days he just wasn't in the mood.

Today was one of those days.

Arthur was a very shy guy when it came to talking to people. He talked to people when introduced and liked when everyone praised him for his great work. But come on, everyone liked to be praised, it gives you a nice ego boost. But Arthur usually never went up to people to talk to them first. He waited for them to come to him. But when it came to getting laid, Arthur just waited for the men and women to come to him and attempt to flirt with him and impress him. He would flirt back if he thought they were worth it. If not, he usually just ignored them or talked down to them until they got the point and went on their merry way. If they were worth it, he would then take them home, fuck them, and then they would leave the next morning and he would be on the lookout for his next conquest.

But lately he hasn't been bringing anyone home. He was in a bit of a slump all because of one man. It would all be over if Arthur could just get this man to notice him. But he was just too chicken shit to go and introduce himself to said man even to just learn his name. Yeah, Arthur didn't even know his name. And he couldn't ask anyone because that would just cause more problems for him. Especially from Ariadne.

Ariadne would bug the shit out of him if she were to find out. She would make a big deal about it when Arthur really just wanted to fuck the guy and be done with it. No emotions or anything. So, yeah, he did not need to deal with her finding out that this one guy was messing up his rhythm.

People tended to see Arthur as a conceited little rich boy, which was the truth. Arthur was pretty rich and he didn't really care about anyone else but himself. Sure he had friends but when it came to their problems, he let them figure it out. If he could take care of his own problems, then they could take care of theirs. It was as simple as that.

He lusted after this man that he didn't even know. That was all it was, lust. Nothing more. He didn't want to marry the man or anything like that. But he wouldn't do anything about it because if the man was interested, he would have made his intentions known and Arthur would have fucked him by now.

But he would keep an open mind and try and get back into the groove of things until that man realized how much of a hot piece of ass Arthur was. It would only be a matter time.

"Arthur!" Arthur turned around and saw Saito walking towards him. "Just the man that I wanted to see." Arthur gave him a small smile. Again, always good to be wanted, especially by your own boss. Saito walked over and wrapped a hand around Arthur's shoulder. "So glad you could make it tonight."

"Of course, you know I couldn't miss this party. It is the highlight of every year." Arthur replied with a fake smile. He hated sucking up to people, but in this case, he needed to. He needed Saito to like him. His life depended on this.

"Come, there are some people I want you to meet." Arthur just nodded and let Saito lead him towards some important people that Arthur could care less about.

But he could never say no to Saito. Saito was the most powerful man in the city, possibly even the country. If you made him mad, you were fucked. You couldn't get a job anywhere else. Saito would have made sure of that. You were bound to live the rest of your life as a poor jobless person until you died of starvation or ended up in jail due to your inclination to commit crime.

That, or the they got you.

But that was a whole different story and Arthur didn't want to think about that. Not tonight.

After a few moments of talking with the boring businessmen, Arthur couldn't take much more so he politely excused himself and went to go speak with Robert Fischer.

Robert didn't work for Saito but was in line to take over his father's own company, which was actually rivaling with Saito's company. But Robert was actually thinking about splitting up his father's company so he could spend more time with his fiancé. Robert could care less about his father's company.

Through Ariadne is how Arthur knew Robert to begin with. Robert was engaged to her. And Ariadne was one of the few people Arthur could call a friend.

Ariadne was a wonderful person. She was smart and beautiful and just overall a very caring person. She cared about your life and wanted the best for you, even if she didn't know you. Arthur had met her in college. She took an instant liking to him and they had been friends ever since. At least, as close as Arthur would consider being a friend.

Arthur's other friend was Dom Cobb. Dom was a very interesting man. At times, he was almost as selfish as Arthur. But now that he had two children to take care of, his selfish ways have sort of increased.

But Dom experienced some major problems with his wife, Mal, and now he was living with Arthur. But Arthur didn't want to think about Mal. That was a very bad time for everyone.

"I didn't think you would show up." Robert said with a small smile as Arthur approached him. Arthur just gave a small nod and grabbed a fresh cup of champagne and took a sip.

"Can't let dear Saito down. He sure does love to show me off to all these other rich bastards." Robert laughed.

"Oh yes. He would probably panic if you were to get sick or something." Arthur just laughed. "Imagine what he would do if you decided to quit?" Arthur just smiled. He had thought about that a few times.

He had imagined putting in his two weeks notice and then Saito coming and groveling at his feet to get him back. And Arthur would. It was the principal of the thing. That he was wanted. That would always bring him back.

"Where is Ariadne on this fine evening?" Arthur asked. He expected her to come. She usually did to these types of events. She loved getting all dressed up and being shown off. Sometimes she was just as bad as Arthur.

Maybe that was why he was friends with her and Dom, they were just like Arthur at times.

"Project for work. It is due soon and she has procrastinated long enough that she had to stay home and get it done."

"Ah, right." Arthur said as he scanned the guests at the party. His eyes slowly fell upon the unnamed man.

He looked fantastic. He was wearing a nice pair of fitted trousers with a purple button up shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. His hair was gelled over to one side that gave him the presence of being older, but all in all, he looked perfect.

He was laughing and Arthur could make out some crooked teeth in the amazing mouth. And those lips. Arthur had fantasized about those quite a bit. He wished he could just go over and listen to him talk. He wanted to know what his voice sounded like. He wanted to imagine what it would sound like having him say his name over and over again.

He had heard that he was British. But that was all. He didn't even know what part of the company he worked in. Arthur worked directly with Saito and kept track of all his financial issues so he didn't really hear much about anyone else in the company. This man could be a janitor for all he knew.

But the man was talking with Yusuf and a woman. Arthur knew Yusuf. He was nice and sociable. He helped with all the solar inventions and chemistry aspects of the company. The woman, Gabriella, if Arthur remembered correctly, was doing some major flirting with the man. She was brunette, brown eyes, curvy, and had a loud laugh. Arthur could hear her all the way over here.

She was trying way too hard.

Arthur quickly glanced away so it wasn't too obvious that he was staring. He looked over and he made eye contact with a beautiful blonde. She smiled and waved him over. Robert laughed.

"Good luck my friend." Arthur just smirked as he grabbed another glass of champagne and walked over to the woman. He could do this. Tonight, he will end his bad luck streak.

"Hello." Arthur said with a smile as he stuck out the glass for her to take.

"Hello." She said as she took the other glass from Arthur's hand. She had an accent. A French accent. And it was somewhat familiar to him, but Arthur didn't dwell on that.

"My name is Arthur."

"I know who you are Arthur Callahan." She said with a smirk.

"Ah. Do you?"

"Everyone has heard about you dear Arthur. You exploits are quite famous."

"Well, it is better to be remembered than to be forgotten, even if it is for something scandalous." The woman let out a small chuckle.

"Well, aren't you just swimming in your own vanity?" Arthur laughed.

"I never did catch your name." Arthur asked as he leaned against the wall next to the woman, ignoring her comment. He knew he was vain, and he didn't need her to tell him that.

"Because I haven't said it." She said with a smile. Arthur just laughed.

"Wow, making things difficult aren't you?"

"Tell me Arthur, if I were to go home with you, what exactly would happen?"

"Well, being honest, we would fuck, sleep, and then in the morning you would leave and I would probably never see you again." She smiled.

"Oh. So I would get no call later on about meeting up again? No proper date?"

"Probably not." Arthur replied with a shrug.

"Why?"

"Why so inquisitive?" He asked as he smiled down at her. This was getting to the point of being ridiculous and Arthur was not going to have it. He didn't want to work for sex. Usually people just fell at his feet and practically begged it from him.

"Can't a girl know what she is getting herself into before she makes a decision?" Arthur just looked at her. There was something up with this woman, he just knew it. She wasn't worth the mind games.

"Well, if that is the case, I think you are going to be more trouble than it is worth. I bid you goodnight." He said with a laugh as he backed away.

"What? You are rejecting me?" She hissed out.

"Hey. I don't even know your name. And besides, I never really liked blondes anyways." Arthur said with a shrug before walking off. He could feel the woman glaring a hole in his back, but he didn't care.

He was tired of this party and decided it would be best if he left now. He said his goodbyes to Saito and Robert and made his way back to his house to get some much needed sleep.

Arthur lived just outside of the city. When he was 21, he had inherited the Callahan family house. He didn't really want it, but he was the only Callahan left and he didn't just want to give it to anyone. He may not have wanted the house but he did want it to be taken care of. And Arthur knew he would be the only one that could properly take care of it.

The reason he didn't want the house was because it was a mansion. There were over 100 rooms and seriously, he found a new one every day. It was absurd. It was like a castle. He didn't need that much space. He mostly just stuck to one side of the house. He didn't need all the space, especially since he was alone most of the time.

But it did come in handy when Dom moved in.

To be honest, Arthur had really expected to have a family and to have settled down by now. He was thirty. He should have had these things by now. But sadly, things were not that easy for him in that department.

Well, he just couldn't find someone that he wanted to wake up next to every morning.

He pulled up to his house and saw that someone was waiting on the porch. He got out of his car and made his way towards the figure. It was almost midnight. Who would be at his house at this hour? Unless Dom locked himself out again.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"I don't know Arthur, can you?" The figure didn't turn around but he recognized the voice as the blonde woman from the party. He laughed. Of course. He let out a small chuckle.

"Wow." The woman then turned around and Arthur's blood ran cold. The voice was from the woman from the party, but the body belonged to Mal. "Mal." He whispered out. She smiled.

"Yes. I am surprised you didn't get it at the party. I didn't even cover my voice."

"Well, I had been drinking. And, it has been years since I last heard your voice." He walked up to her. "Shouldn't you be off guilt tripping Dom?" She rolled her eyes and looked around.

"That would get boring very quickly. All he has to do is just look at me and the guilt escapes from him in buckets." She said with a smile. Arthur sighed. He hated this new Mal. He wanted the old one back.

"Dom is home. You should really see him. And your children. They miss you." She smiled.

"Oh Arthur. Is that a little bit of heart showing? Did I ever tell you how nice it was of you to let Dom move in with you?" Arthur just looked at her. She just smiled at him and looked off in the distance for a few moments before she looked back at him. "Anyways, I am not here for Dom. I am here for you."

"For me?" Arthur let out a small sigh. "Mal, I am tired. I am not dealing with your witch shit tonight." He opened the door and walked in. He shut the door behind him but it was forced back open.

He whipped around and saw Mal staring at him. Her eyes had gone completely red.

"You have been vain for far too long Arthur." She hissed out. "It is time that you learned your lesson."

"What?" Arthur shouted. Mal walked up to him and shoved him against the staircase.

"You use men and women for your own personal need and treat them like they are nothing. Just objects for you to throw around when you can. You care about no one but yourself. Sure you let Dom live here but you barely speak with him. And when you do you demean him and just let him live his pathetic life soaked with guilt. You don't deserve to live the life you have."

Arthur's eyes widened. He tried to get away from her by forcing himself up the stairs. He didn't get very far.

"You can't run from me Arthur!" She said as she grabbed his leg and pulled him back down the stairs. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up so that he was now face to face with her. She just stared at him. Arthur tried to remain calm but the truth was that he really had no idea what was going to happen.

He had heard the stories of what the witches do to men and women. Some kill them, some curse them or disfigure them, and some even go insane from the torture. It all depends on your crime or what you did to earn their wrath.

These witches were once people from the city who had gone crazy and did something horrible, for Mal it was attempting to kill herself. Well, she did kill herself, but she came back as this monster. Other witches were either murderers or criminals who had been killed. And for their crimes they were punished. Their punishment was to go around and rid the city of the other horrible people.

It might not seem that bad, but sometimes, it was the people you knew. You lost your soul in the process and became a completely different person. You know of your past life, but you feel no emotion towards it.

Arthur never imagined that he would ever be in this situation. Sure he was sort of a dick, but he wasn't that bad. There were worse people out there than him. There had to be, like actual murderers, pedophiles, or criminals.

Mal just smiled as she grabbed Arthur by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

"You, Arthur Callahan, strive off being beautiful and enjoying having life handed to you on a golden platter. Tell me, what would you do if you were deemed ugly by society? To have to work for everything in your life? To live with the pain of all the people you have hurt with your horrible ways?

Arthur didn't get the chance to respond. A bright light erupted from her hand and sent him flying back into the wall. He fell the ground and screamed out in pain. He felt the pain travel from his legs all the way up into his arms and finally his face.

It felt like he was on fire and was burning up on the inside.

"What the hell?" He heard Dom scream out. He looked over and saw Dom on the stairs looking at Mal who was standing there laughing. Arthur thought he even saw the children but he could have been seeing things. He could have been hallucinating Dom as well.

Arthur raised his hands and saw his fingers grow longer and his nails sharpen. He felt his body crack as he fell on the ground again. He ran his fingers through his hair and found that something was stopping him. He screamed out in pain again as he felt something cutting along his face and all over his body.

Arthur gave up then. He just crashed on the ground and waited for the pain to go away.

After a few moments, it finally subsided. He glanced up and saw Mal kneeling down next to him. She grabbed his hair and forced him to look at her fully. At the corner of his eye he could see Dom staring at them with a horrified look on his face. Perhaps Dom really was there.

"Now, dearest Arthur, this is a lesson to you. This isn't permanent, but there are consequences." He nodded. It was the only thing he could do. He didn't trust himself to talk. "You have a year dear Arthur. One full year. One year to find someone who can love you for the way you are, inside and out and you of course, have to love them back, just the same. And if you don't, then sadly, by this time next year, you will be dead." Arthur's eyes widened. "You see, you are not covered with scars. Each scar represents each person you have hurt with your vanity and pride. But they are not ordinary scars. These scars will kill you. It will be painful and slow, but you will endure until the year is up." She let go of his hair and he fell back onto the floor. "This is your punishment. I will be back for you when your time is up. Enjoy your year Arthur and spend your time wisely." She turned and gave Dom one last look before disappearing.

Arthur didn't move. He just looked over at Dom before passing out on the floor.

Arthur woke up to the sound of voices arguing next to him. He looked around and realized that he was back in his room. He really hoped that the whole spectacle with Mal had just been a bad dream.

The voices ran that thought right out the window.

"He can't go out like this! Once people see him they will freak out and then he will freak out and then he will kill himself!" That sounded like Ariadne.

"Arthur wouldn't take his own life." That was Dom. "You know that."

"Dom, Arthur lives off his looks and what people think of him."

"He doesn't look that bad." Dom whispered. Arthur made a small grunt as he pulled himself up.

"Arthur." Ariadne said as she ran over to him.

"Give me a mirror." He hissed out and the voice that came out sounded nothing like him. It was deeper and sounded more animalistic. That wasn't a good sign. "Now!" He shouted. He didn't care if he wasn't being polite. He wanted to know what he looked like now.

"Arthur, I don't think that is the best thing right now." Ariadne said softly.

"Give me a damn mirror or I will find one myself." Arthur hissed out. No one moved. Alright. Arthur pulled himself from the bed and immediately fell to the floor from the pain in his chest. "Fuck!" His hissed out. Ariadne rushed to his side but he pushed her away as he pulled himself up and walked towards the full length mirror that was on the other side of the room.

He walked up and just stared at his reflection. The whole room was silent. You could almost hear everyone's heart beating. It was that quiet.

Arthur just stared at his reflection. The man, no, the monster that was staring back at him was not him. It looked nothing like him.

He lifted up his hands and saw that they were now these long gangly things with nails that were way too long and almost looked like claws. His arms were covered in hair and scars. The scars ran all along his arm. Some were larger than others.

He pulled open his shirt and saw three long scars along his chest with some little ones surrounding them. He ran his hands over them. They felt like scars, but when you touched them, it sent a small jolt of pain throughout his body. He pulled his shirt off and turned around. There were three scars on his back as well with more small scars on his back.

He looked down and saw that his feet were now longer and looked like the feet of a beast. They were completely covered in thick brown hair.

He finally looked at his face. His face was covered in tiny scars. They wound all over his face making it look unrecognizable. His hair was grown out a bit and sort of looked wind-blown, but he knew by looking at it that there was no way that it would ever be tamed. On the top of his head were two brown ears that almost looked like dog ears.

The only thing that was the same was his eyes. He still had the same brown eyes. He reached out and touched his reflection.

"I am a monster." He whispered out.

"Arthur, no, you are still the same person." Ariadne said, taking a step forward.

"Am I!" He shouted, punching a hole through the mirror. It shattered into pieces at his feet. "Look at me Ariadne. Just look at me. I am hideous. No one will ever look at me the same again. Ever."

"Arthur, you can fix this. Mal said…" Dom started but Arthur just laughed.

"Oh yeah. I have to find love. I have a year to find my soul mate. Who is going to come here and love me Dom? No one has ever given two shits about me in that way. Ever. And that isn't going to change any time soon especially when I look like this."

"Looks aren't everything…" Ariadne said.

"No, but they are something. Would you date me?" Arthur said, taking a few steps towards them. "If you saw me walking down the street would you walk up to me and start a conversation?" Ariadne just looked at him. "Yeah, I thought so." Arthur sighed and ran a hand through his hair, stopping when his hand ran into his ears. Great. He couldn't even do that anymore.

"Arthur we can fix this."

"Fix this? I will be in pain everyday for the rest of my life until it kills me. I am a fucking mine just waiting to be hit."

"Arthur, please just…"

"No. Just, fuck off. Please." Arthur said as he turned away and walked towards his bed.

"Arthur we need to talk…" Ariadne started but Arthur interrupted her.

"Just go away!" He growled as he turned and glared at them. Ariadne and Dom just looked at him. "I want some time to myself." Dom nodded and left the room, dragging Ariadne with him.

Well, there it is. I hope you all enjoyed it and I will try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible!