The wedding was inevitable. Belle wished she could simply run away, but King George prevented himself, so there was always a guard or a whole retinue of maids following her wherever she went, which gave her no choice but to follow instructions and try on gowns as she felt smaller and sadder by the day. She kept thinking about the imp, her thoughts full of him and how he had adored her for a night, she would give anything to see him again, but she knew he wouldn't come back for months, now that he knew she wouldn't be killed anymore.

Belle told herself multiple times that everything he wanted from her was the child, but she couldn't help keep remembering about the looks he gave her long before they made that last deal. He liked her somehow and he certainly wanted her, that much she had felt when he was buried to the hilt inside of her body. And now, she would have to share a bed with another, even though her heart held feelings for that odd creature.

She must admit that the prospect of laying with Gaston it terrified her, first because he seemed to be the brute kind who would only think about himself and probably would make it painful and uncomfortable for her and second, because she was afraid it might hurt the child. Belle already felt attached to it, although she knew she shouldn't, because the imp would come as soon as it was born, to collect it, which made her heart break a bit on her chest.

Lately, she was feeling like she was a doll, forced to do things she didn't actually want to, being dressed and dragged to places, a fake smile always on her lips. It all was awful but not more than the whole wedding celebration. She wore white, although she wasn't pure anymore, she was walked down the isle by the king and not her father who hadn't being invited to the party – and for that part she didn't care much, as Maurice had been the one to put her in this situation in first place – nonetheless, she had her hands held by Gaston while a priest blessed their union, making them repeat some meaningless vows.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the future king and queen," the elderly man announced with a wide grin. "Gaston, you may kiss the bride."

Belle shivered when he approached, feeling as if she was betraying herself – and for some reason, the imp too – when she allowed him to seal a kiss on her lips, causing the crowd to start applauding the newly-wed couple, before the king and the queen came along to congratulate them. She was hugged by both of them, trying to keep on with the fake smile when George pulled her close and murmured some chuckled words to her hear.

"See, my dear, this is how we help we other. You made the kingdom rich again and I'll make you queen."

Shifting away from him, Belle isolated herself on the chair, refusing to dance with anyone but Gaston, who she couldn't deny it without being killed. She was feeling sick, if an illness caused by her body's recent changes to accommodate the child she expected or by the feeling of impotence and unhappiness with that marriage, she didn't quite know. The only thing she consumed during the whole night was a glass of water, her stomach twisting painfully as her whole body trembled with despair.

Going to her new bedchambers that night was kind of frightening, but Belle gathered all of her courage and did it, changing her wedding dress for a simple nightgown with the help of the maids, then she sat near the windows and waited until Gaston appeared. He opened the door with no hurry, still fully clothed and carrying a sword, his face expressionless as he walked towards the bed and Belle swallowed.

"You look nervous," Gaston pointed out, lifting his sword.

"I…" Belle started but stopped when he pulled the blankets away and opened a cut on his own hand, letting the blood drip on the white sheets. "What the hell are you doing?"

He pulled the sword back in place, letting it hang by his side as he cleaned his wounded hand with a cloth, barely casting a look at her while he did so, which was very different from how he was acting on the wedding party and when they were in public in general.

"The maids will certainly check for the sheets to guarantee this marriage was consummated, and now they surely will think it was."

Belle blinked, surprised. The last thing she was expecting was to be rejected on her wedding night. Maybe she was not the prettiest girl in this realm, but she wasn't ugly, the imp had desired her and she knew other men did to, so why her husband would refuse to lay with her?

"I thought you wanted to marry me!"

Gaston shook his head.

"No, that's what my father forced me to do, but as I said, you have nothing to fear, Belle, as long as you never tell anyone that I haven't laid with you."

Of course, she wasn't going to be fool enough to tell this to anyone – at least for now – because if he intended to never share her bed, then she might as well be dead anyway, because once her belly started to grow and people noticed she was with child, they would also know it was a bastard and the King would certainly kill her. She needed a plan and she needed it soon.

Her husband, however didn't seem to be willing to spend the night talking or doing anything else, as he walked towards the door without another word, leaving Belle to stare angrily at him.

"Where are you going?"

"I have some matters to attend," was the only thing he said, before going away.

As the weeks passed by, Belle watched as her body started to change, soon enough her stomach wasn't flat anymore and the little bump appeared, which made wearing her corsets completely uncomfortable. She started to decline the help of the maids to get dressed and hided her pregnancy the best way she could, but Belle knew the time would come when people would start to notice something was different about her.

She wouldn't care about dying at this point, however Belle wanted her child to live, so for it, she started to follow Gaston around like a shadow, never allowing him to see her, staying distant, but keep herself attentive. In the first couple of times she did it, the girl only saw him doing the usual things like hunting, eating and talking about politics, but it was on a particularly dark night that she got to know his real secret.

He was supposed to be hunting with a few friends and Belle hadn't even left the great hall to follow him, because she felt tired and sore, but when one of the men who was supposed to be on this hunt with Gaston appeared looking for his wife, the duchess, she understood there was something wrong about it. Belle excused herself, saying her husband had told her early to meet him in the stables and made her way to there, wanting to know if the horses he should have taken would still be in their lanes.

Certainly, she thought it was odd that the stables were locked when she arrived there and the young boy that usually took care of the horses wasn't anywhere to be seen, but Belle was just about to leave when she heard an odd noise. Turning around again, she approached the woodened walls, following the strange, suffocated sounds until she found a gap between the boards and peeked a look inside, almost gasping.

Inside there was Gaston with his best friend LeFou. Truth be told, she had always thought he didn't like much the poor man, who had always seemed like a fool, obeying all of the prince's commands, but now she saw it was all a lie, because they were kissing, they were naked, and she was glad she couldn't see what their hands were doing.

This was the reason Gaston had refused to lay with her then, Belle concluded, maybe he couldn't, maybe he only felt attraction for men and he would never be able to perform his part with her. She pulled away from the wall, still hearing their small grunts as she started to walk back to the castle. Belle didn't like to be this kind of person, but right now, for her child, she would have to be tough and threatening and use this information for good.

She went to their bedchambers earlier that night, pulled on her nightgown and sat in front of her desk, combing her hair as she waited. Belle knew he had no option but coming to the room they had been sharing for the last weeks and sleep in the same bed as her in order to not make people suspicious, so when he finally opened the door and stepped in, she was already ready.

"Hello, dear husband," the lady said, grinning at him.

Gaston furrowed, clearly unhappy to be forced to speak with her.

"I thought you'd be already asleep."

"No, I actually need to have a little talk to you so I made sure I'd stay awake until you arrived."

Placing his bow and arrow in a corner, he started to take off his boots without glancing at her, exactly as it had been ever since they got married. Well, it wasn't exactly a marriage as not even the clerics would consider a non-consummated union valid, but it didn't matter now, what really mattered to Belle was convincing him to claim her child as his.

"Can we discuss whatever you have in mind tomorrow?" He asked. "I'm tired, the hunting was exhaustive."

"Oh, yes, the hunting…" Belle trailed off. "Was the deer that left you so tired or was it LeFou?"

His eyes got wide and for the first time in that night, Gaston looked up at her, startled, almost terrified, probably wanting to have misheard her, but he didn't and both of them knew it.

"How did you…"

"I'm a clever woman, Gaston, and let me add, I don't care about what you do or who do you do it with, but I need your help and if you don't agree with my terms, then I think the king might accidentally run on his only son spending some time with the kind of lover he wouldn't expect him to."

He swallowed hard, kicking his boots away as he stood up, walking towards Belle like a scared animal. She had never seen him look anything but smug and brute and she couldn't say she wasn't quite enjoying it after everything his father did her.

"What do you want?"

"You see, before I married you I had a life and I was deeply in love with a spinner, so this happened," Belle explained, straightening her gown so he could see the still tiny bump under it. "Now, I know your father expects you to have heirs, so if you claim this child as yours, you'll have nothing to fear. You will never disappoint him. But if you chose otherwise, then… Well, King George will be really sad to know why you will never give him grandchildren."

"You want me to assume your bastard?" Gaston gasped. "That's not going to happen, your manipulative whore!"

Oh, he could call her a whore and everything else he wished, but he didn't agree with her plan, then she wouldn't hesitate and making sure King George caught him right with LeFou. And surely, he wouldn't want that to happen, both for that poor man's safety and because of his own reputation – and maybe even succession to the throne – that would certainly be ruined.

"LeFou would certainly end-up beheaded," Belle started ponderously, "such a waste of a good heart…"

"Alright," the prince breathed, his eyes closing for a second as if he couldn't believe how weak he sounded. "I'll do it."

"Clever man," she praised him, standing up and walking past her husband, straight to their bed. "Goodnight, Gaston."

She slipped under the bedcovers, certainly more relieved, but not yet happy.

Months passed, the whole kingdom was rejoicing the fact its prince would soon have an heir, King George and his wife were over the moon with the news and threating Belle a lot better now, however the weight of the deal she made with the imp, wouldn't leave her, things could be slightly nicer, but she would still have to give up her baby and just to think about that, was killing her.

When she first felt a kick, tears started to stream down her face with happiness, she cared so much about that child that her heart seemed about to burst. She had never thought she could feel such a deep connection with someone as she did now, but Belle wasn't willing to give it up, so one night, she pulled on her cloak and went to the gardens whist Gaston slept.

She didn't know what made her believe that the imp would some, but as she placed her lamp on a stone bench, she knew soon she wouldn't be alone anymore and that was exactly what happened as just a couple of moments later, she felt the presence of another person right behind her.

"It has been quite a while since I've last felt such a despair coming from you. It was like a scream for help," the imp said, coming closer until he was standing right in front of her, making Belle's heart skip a bit with the excitement of seeing him again. "Tell me, what does afflict you, my dear?"

"It's the child," she explained, opening her cloak a bit to allow him a sight of her now swollen stomach.

His eyes got wide, a smile spreading in his lips as his hands came up to cup each side of her belly, stroking carefully, his whole face lighting up when the felt a kick against his palm.

"Oh, you're growing bigger!"

Belle almost sobbed at this. He looked so excited and happy, his touch as so soft and full of love that she wanted to throw he arms around his body and never let go. Nobody ever threated her the way he did, with such care and nobody would love he child the way he did, that was for sure, which made asking the next question a bit painful.

"Please, don't take it away from me. I already love this baby."

"We have a deal, remember?" The imp arched an eyebrow at her, letting his hands fall to his sides. "You promised me your first born."

Her chin trembled at how suddenly impassive he looked. She knew he never stepped away from a deal, but she couldn't understand how he felt indifferent about separating a mother from a child. And even worse: his child from its mother. He should want his heir to have a happy childhood, full of a love. He should want her in the equation.

"I know, but I can give you anything else, there must be something you want."

"Yes, a child," the imp remarked. "My child and you already dealt it for me."

"Please," Belle begged. "Please, I have nothing left in this life. My father never like me, my husband prefers the company of another man than mine and I'm locked in this hellish castle, the only joy I have is to feel this baby moving inside me and knowing that somehow, I'm not alone. If I lose it, then I'll truly wish to die."

It took him by surprise. The imp shook his head at her, curling a hand around Belle's waist and pulling her close, cupping her face with his other hand, his textured fingers stroking her cheeks and brushing away the tears that had started to fall from her eyes. She leaned against his touch, appearing to be so fragile that wanted to do something, anything to make her feel better. She should never feel as rejected and lonely as she was feeling now.

"Don't you say something like that," the imp bounced in a preoccupied voice.

"It's the truth," Belle sniffled, hugging him close and nuzzling her nose against his neck. "I – I've missed you."

"Missed me?"

"You are the only friend I've truly ever had."

He stroked her hair, fighting against his better will of kissing her and then doing something he never tried before and breaking a deal. The imp knew she was desperate and would say and do anything right now to keep her child.

"You're a loner, my Belle."

"I think I was born to be left aside," she said, looking at his reptilian eyes again.

"No, no, stop saying those things," he pleaded. "Let's make another deal."

"Another one?"

"Aye," he confirmed. "Would you accept to run away with me? If you agree, you can live at my castle and you can be a true mother to this wee bairn."

The girl blinked, astonished. She would have never expected him to propose such a thing, as she even doubted he would allow her to keep their baby, but this… Oh, it was perfect, the only solution she ever wanted to have for her problems, and not just because it mean, her child would have a good home and she would have the chance of raising it, but because she would be with him.

"Would you do this? Would save me from this miserable life?"

"With a condition. You need to be clever enough to find out my name."

Of course, it was too good to be true. But he was the man she met in a dungeon and had done deals with from the very start, so this could have already been foreseen.

"Is this a joke?"

"Of course not," the imp smirked. "If you find out my name, then I'll take you with me and you'll be threated like a real queen and adored like a goddess."

Belle thought about this for a second, rubbing at his back through the leather of his thick coat. She was being held for the first time in months and he was giving her one of those heated glances that had made her body go in flames in the night they had spent together, so she wouldn't have what to lose by trying but what she already didn't have.

"And the only thing I need to do is discover your name?"

"You have three days," he agreed.

"Can I start now?"

A smile filled her lips as she traced his jaw with the tip of her index finger, feeling the child kicking between then. It was quite an agitated thing and she assumed it would take a lot after him. Sometimes, Belle would wonder if it would look like its father too, she certainly wouldn't mind if it did, as odd as others might think it looked or not.

"Feeling fearless?"

"I'd say desperate," Belle corrected, and tried in one long breath: "John? James? Arthur? Robert? Dean? Pierre?"

"No, no and no," the imp chuckled. "My name is not a simple one, you'll need to make some research. But take care of yourself in the meantime, we want a strong heir, huh?"

She nodded, more than eager to start reading all the books she could get her hands on to try to discover his name, it would be a tough task, and she wanted to start it as soon as possible, however Belle thought she could delay it until the next morning, because right now, being held by that man was the only thing she wished to do.