Alain exited his cottage with a book in hand, saying a quick goodbye to his father before leaving. Atypical for late fall, the weather was warm and he left wearing a simple cloth suit. He began to head towards the only bookstore in their tiny town in order to return a book he had borrowed. He tried to think of anything else he might want to do once there, but his mind was blank. Perhaps he could...

"Bonjour, Alain!"

A familiar voice called out his name in obvious excitement. He turned around to see the town beauty, Giselle, waving at him from inside the baker's shop. Giselle quickly grabbed her purchase and exited the store. As usual, she wore a beautiful dress that probably cost as much as what Alain and his father made in a year. Her jet-black, carefully brushed hair cascaded down to her waist while her bangs framed her heart-shaped face. She wore practical yet fashionable ballet style shoes and a simple gold necklace with small round golden earrings. Her beauty queen image was finished off by her piercing blue eyes and even and unblemished skin.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Giselle," replied Alain.

"Oh you," Giselle pouted prettily at his response, "we've known each other for many years now. You can stop with the Mademoiselle business. I am just Giselle."

Alain responded with a smile. He resumed walking towards the bookshop, making a sign towards Giselle that she could follow along. Immediately, she began chattering away about whatever came to mind. Alain barely responded, preferring to stay quiet while Giselle kept talking. Eventually, they approached the empty bookstore.

As they walked in, a bell at the door alerted the elderly clerk that manned the shop. Alain immediately brightened and began to talk with the man.

"Hello, Monsieur!" he exclaimed, "I'm here to return the book I borrowed."

"Finished with it already?" said the clerk in surprise, "I only lent it out to you the day before yesterday!"

"Well, I couldn't put it away, could I? It was amazing!"

"How you ever finish all your chores on time, I'll never know," replied the clerk with a small shake of his head.

The two continued talking, stopping only to catch their breath. They talked about their favorite books, authors, and stories. The entire time, Giselle awkwardly stood by the door, waiting for Alain to finish his business with the clerk. Although she knew how to read and write basic things, Giselle was not interested in books, especially if they did not have any pictures to look at.

Her mind must have started wandering while the two men talked, however, because she jumped a little when Alain turned around and asked her if she was ready to go.

"Ready to go?" asked Alain.

"Ah, yes!" she replied, with a small blush on her face.

Immediately after they left the shop, Alain began to read the new book he borrowed. Giselle was just surprised Alain could read and walk at the same time without falling and dying. He seemed too engrossed to pay attention to his surroundings.

This gave Giselle the opportunity to stare at Alain as much as she wanted. He looked absolutely breathtaking. With his cheap and simple farmer clothes, he should have looked plain, but there was something about him that just exhumed beauty. His skin was clear and slightly tanned from spending time outdoors. His dark brown hair was cropped to his neck and slicked back slightly. His brown eyes quickly scanned the text in front of him. He was the tallest man in the entire town, an impressive six feet tall. He stood erect and proud like a prince and his demeanor was aloof and reserved. The fact that, unlike many of the other men in town, he had never tried to woo a woman just added to his mystique and overall handsomeness.

The pair walked back to Alain's cabin like this, him engrossed in the book and her engrossed in Alain's face. Their thoughts were broken, however, as soon as they heard a loud booming sound emanating from Alain's cabin. The two glanced at each other quickly before running towards the cabin. As soon as they opened the door, smoke came out in droves, causing their eyes to water.

They climbed down the stairs, coughing, towards the basement. There, they saw Alain's father Maurice struggling to free himself from some strange contraption. Alain ran immediately to his side and began to help his father. Giselle stood near the door, holding a sleeve towards her nose to protect herself from the fumes. Finally, Maurice was free.

"I'll never get this damned contraption to work!" he shouted, kicking the strange machinery. This only resulted in a stubbed toe, however. Alain gave him words of sympathy, trying to calm his father down.

While father and son looked sadly upon the strange machine she understood nothing of, Giselle began to feel ignored. She gave a loud, purposeful cough. Immediately, both men's eyes turned towards her.

"Oh, Papa, I saw Giselle in town and she walked back with me," said Alain. Maurice turned to examine Giselle more closely.

She gave a small curtsy. Now that Alain would be paying more attention to his father than to her, it was time to say her goodbyes. She desired more than anything else to be alone with him. She gave the two men her most radiant smile.

"I'm afraid, Monsieurs, that it is time for me to leave," she said while motioning dramatically with her arm, "I am busy with the shop and must bid my farewells."

"Ah, goodbye Mademoiselle," replied Maurice and Alain in unison, giving a small bow in return. Giselle smiled again in return as she walked back up the stairs. Once she was finally out of the house, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"I wonder when people will stop calling me Mademoiselle, I hate it," she muttered under her breath before walking back to town and the chores that awaited her.

A/N: Alain is the French form of the name "Alan," which means handsome. Giselle is a French name that means "hostage." The Beast won't be making an appearance until Chapter 3. Giselle, if you haven't noticed yet, is the female version of Gaston. Although she is based off of Gaston, she is her own character and I hope I can give her a personality that won't feel like Gaston, but female. Lastly, I am setting up Alain and Giselle so the next few chapters will involve mostly them.

I'd like to tank my friends kellusumi and conejito1011 for helping me with the story, looking over my draft, and giving me little plot bunnies to work with. You can find them on tumblr really easily, since those are their usernames.

Finally, reviews are wanted and appreciated. This story will update soon, as I already have an outline of the next chapter. Expect the next chapter within the next week, most likely within the next two days.