Chapter 2

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Gaston had finally made it back to Molyneaux in one piece by sundown. His ankle was burning and his temper was about to snap. Most people should have loved to take a stroll in the beautiful June forest, but after you've just nearly survived a fall to your death, it's not very lovely. All he wanted was for the Babettes to pamper him and for Lefou to fetch him a couple rounds of ale. As he approached the village he could hear the sounds of the morning buzz being carried on the breeze, giving him a final push to hobble as quick as he could to reach the Tavern.

Soon enough he limped through the entrance and the sight the Villagers saw made them all gasp. Instead of seeing the proud, strong, confident Gaston they were used to, they saw a rugged looking man with multiple black eyes, torn clothes and an exasperated look limp into their village. Instantly, the triplets rushed to his side, their eyes full of concern and worry.

"Gaston, oh my!" they shrieked "is it you? You look dreadful! Come with us! We have so much to tell you, but oh my, we must get you fixed up!" They moved under his arms to give him a little support, but with their petite bodies, they didn't give much help. Slowly, they brought him into the Tavern, where a few men were in for a break from work and a round of beer. As if on cue they jumped from their seats and escorted Gaston to his chair (more like throne) by the fire, as the triplets rushed off to get medical supplies.

"Sorry lads, don't look my best today" He said gruffly

"It's ok, Gaston. Not everyone can kill a beast and live to tell the tale!'

That filled Gaston with pride. He did, after all. "I'll tell everyone the tale as soon as I'm better!" He said proudly. 'Which better be soon' he added silently to himself. The men were about to say something else but then the triplets rushed back in the room with some bandages, ice, crutches, a splint and some gauze bandage. They wrapped gauze around his more serious wounds, and patched up the smaller cuts and scratches with the bandages. They gave him ice to stop the swelling on his eyes and then called in the more knowledgeable healer to deal with his broken leg. She walked in and eyed it quickly "it's not broken, but close. Sprained." She nodded sternly "Before I can apply the splint , I'll have to set it."

Gaston was about to ask what that meant but his delicate ego was saved by Claudette, who asked first. "What does that mean?" She asked, confused.

The healer rolled her eyes, but Claudette didn't seem to notice. "I have to put the bone back in place." Gaston was weary of that solution, but he went along with it. The healer placed her hands on his hairy legs and told him that "It will hurt a bit." He didn't think of it much in that moment, but as she set it, the pain was almost unbearable. He yelled out and the triplets jumped and let out screams of surprise and shock. After she was done, the healer rolled her eyes at them and Gaston swore he heard her mutter something about 'drama queens' under her breath, before applying the splint quickly and standing up.

"Thank you" He said, and flashed her his most charming smile, but she only replied with a short "Youre welcome, Au revoir." Funny, only she and Belle could ever resist it.

He didn't let the shock of the cold goodbye show on his face and turned to the triplets. They snapped to their best posture and put on their flirtatious smiles. He noticed but didn't give it any thought, he was used to it, after all. "Do you know where Belle is? I need I talk to her." After he said that, all their faces fell. With a sigh, Laurette replied "Actually, she hasn't come back from the castle yet." With a pause she added "more time to spend with me" whilst batting her eyelashes.

Gaston didn't care about spending time with the Bimbettes, we wanted Belle, and he would find her today.

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Belle walked down the stone stairs that led to the kitchen, he dress swishing at her feet, admiring the artwork. There wasn't much of it, as the Beast had ripped up anything that reminded him of the outside world. Portraits of villages, landscapes, and family. She felt a wave of sympathy for him, the sorrow and despair he must have felt. For ten years. 'I wouldn't be able to stand it' she thought to herself 'he must be very strong emotionally.' It made her think of the strong, brave heros in her storybooks. She felt it funny that she compared him to them. Another blush crept onto her cheeks and she shook her head. 'I'm just going to go get breakfast, not contemplate life' she thought to herself. As she made her way, she could hear the kitchen buzzing with activity and scolding Chip for something or another he did. She felt a smile tugging at her lips and opened the doors. She saw the chef cooking porridge and chip sitting at the table tugging at the table cloth. Mrs. Potts was keeping a close eye on him as she made a spot of tea with biscuits. The Beast, well, Prince was sitting at the table.

As soon as he saw her, he jumped up from his seat and pulled another one for her, much to the displeasure of Lumière, whom was already preparing a seat for her. A smile broke through Belle's lips and a laugh escaped her mouth as she saw him stumble a bit, then straighten and give her a hopeful smile.

"Thank you." She said happily.

The Beast's smiled widened as she sat down beside him, and before he could say anything else, Lumière rushed up to them.

"Anything for breakfast, Cherie?" He cast a sideways glance at the Prince "I might as well ask before someone decides to steal my job. With that, the Prince crossed his arms in mock hurt and Belle let out a full laugh, before covering her hand with her mouth.

"I'll just have some porridge." She said, looking at the Prince's bowl, which also had a few scoops of porridge in it. With a snap Lumière said to the chef "ok! Get a bowl of porridge!" And the chef went to work.

It seemed like everything in the castle was brighter, happier, and funnier. Over breakfast, Chip had almost dropped an ancient china bowl, but instead of everyone getting mad, they saved the plate with a laugh and went on to tease him. It made Belle wonder what the castle was like before the curse. Most likely a happy place to host parties and for a little Prince to grow up, or to explore and have pretty epic games of hide and seek.

Breakfast had ended and as Belle was leaving rising from her chair, the Prince grabbed her arm lightly, causing her to blush.

"Belle, wait!"

She turned to look at him, trying desperately to hide the her rosy checks. With that, he dropped her arm.

"Yes?"

"Want to go horseback riding? I mean, around the forest?" He put his hands by his sides and smiled nervously "only if you want too, of course" he finished quickly

Belle though it was sweet that he was so nervous to ask her, much the opposite of Gaston who would waltz up to her and propose.

"Of course. Want to go now?" She replied

His eyes brightened at her response and he nodded "Yes please"

With that, they walked out the doors to get saddled up.

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Adam walked out with Belle to go horseback riding with his spirit high. The beautiful June sun shone in the sky, and the grounds looked as nice as before the curse. As they walked down the trails to the stable, Belle surprised him with a question.

"What's your name?"

He brought his hand up to his neck and scratched it nervously. Seeing that, Belle's eyes looked down in remorse.

"I'm sorry, it's just since you're" she gestured to him "human again, I don't think it fit to call you the Beast." That made him laugh and he put his hand down. "Me neither." He said and he stretched out his hand like he was meeting her for the first time "Hi, I'm Adam."

Belle laughed at this and with that his heart skipped a beat 'she thinks I'm funny?' He thought hopefully and Belle look him and and shook it. The next thing that happened shocked him even more than the question. She pulled their hands down casually and before Adam knew what was going on they were holding each other's hand. He was surprised at how delicate they were, and how soft they felt without fur and claws getting in the way. It also felt surprisingly good in his hand, like it was meant to happen. Adam didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the peaceful silence and soon enough they were at the stables.

Belle dropped his hand to saddle her horse and he didn't realize how much he missed it. He didn't let it show, though, and he saddled up his horse and jumped on. Belle was already on her horse when he went up, but it didn't surprise him. 'Her own Woman' he thought 'doesn't need anyone to tell her what to do.' She did look very regal on top of that horse, and looked like she could run a kingdom better that he could 'she probably can' he thought.

About halfway through their ride, Belle dropped her reigns and looked at him. "Adam" she began "do you think we could ride to the village? You don't have to go, I just wanted to visit my father."

That gave Adam a great idea. If he planned to one day confess his feelings for Belle, he might as well get to know her father. "Of course!" He replied enthusiastically "if you want, we could even invite him to stay at the castle! He could have a workshop for his inventions and everything!" When he said that, Belle's jaw dropped. "Really? You can do that?"

"I'm a prince, Belle. I can do anything" he said it like he was some super important lord, but in reality he felt like Belle was a thousand times more important than him, hence why he was inviting her father to stay with them.

Belle laughed and smiled brighter than ever "if I wasn't atop a hose at the moment, I would kiss you!" After she said that, it seemed she realized what she had really said and she blushed profusely.

"It's ok Belle. I would too" and Adam laughed awkwardly. "Here" he said changing the subject "let's get going." And Belle nodded quickly "yes."

As they neared the Village, he could hear the sounds of Molyneaux bustling and buzzing. He turned to Belle "is it always like this here?" He asked, and Belle nodded "I'm afraid so, not to much quiet reading, well, not too much reading!" Adam laughed at that. Just outside the village, stood Belle's house. It was small and white with pink and blue trim and a garden in the back.

"I know it's not much" she said

"It's Brilliant" he reassured her

As they reached the house, Belle's father came running out. Belle quickly hopped off the horse and ran to embrace him.

"Papa!"

"Belle!"

Belle stepped back and motioned for him to come over. He unsaddled and went over to shake his hand.

"Belle, who is this?" He asked questionably.

"Oh," she explained "he was the Beast." Adam cringed when he saw Maurice's reaction.

"What?!" He exclaimed, jumping back. Afterward he said quietly but sternly "Belle. I need to talk to you. Inside"

Adam felt his heart drop and he stepped back to let them get some privacy as they entered the house. Soon enough, the trees didn't look as beautiful as before, and the ride didn't seem so appealing. What if he forbid Belle from coming back? What if he didn't want anything to do with himself, because he was once a Beast?

Minutes passed and they finally came back, Belle smiling and Maurice looking satisfied. He looked hopefully as they hugged goodbye and Maurice's waved to him before heading back to the house. After that Belle ran up to him, hopped on her horse and they started heading back to the castle.

After a few minutes of silence Adam couldn't hold his curiosity and longer "what happened?" He asked

"I was waiting for you to ask that!" She said happily "I told him the entire story. He approves, and he agrees to come and stay at the castle!" After a pause, she added quietly "he also promised not to tell anyone about your past 'furry little problem'" They both laughed and Adam felt like he was going to burst. He approved of him!

"That's so great! I'll get some of the servants to help him move his things. Let's head back to finish our ride." He said

"I agree." She said

And with that they ride away.

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Little did they know, one tall, dark, strong and handsome brute by the name of Gaston was watching them ride back together whilst going on a 'walk'

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OMG THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! I'm so glad that you like my story and I'm already working on chapter 3! I promise it will get more dramatic and interesting as it goes on! Please reveiw!