Cogsworth was floating off into an uneasy sleep. It had been one of the most difficult weeks of his life. As head of the household, it was his responsibility to keep everything as normal as possible. But day by day, their numbers had been decreasing rapidly. And, as much as he tried to push the thought away, he desperately missed working for someone. No, not someone; Adam. He struggled not to cry as he imagined the young boy he once knew.
No one, not even Gaston, deserved what had happened to the Prince. A boy, only eleven years old, abandoned by his parents for something that wasn't even his fault. Truly, Cogsworth blamed them. The parents who had done nothing to help their son and instead pushed him too far. They were the ones who deserved to be cursed.
Suddenly, Adam was human again. Standing right in front of him. He was no longer a boy, though. He was a full-grown man. Cogsworth had always pictured seeing this day, but now it would actually happen.
"Cogsworth, look at me!" he said, his voice filled with joy, "And look at you too! We're human again!"
Cogsworth looked down to find that it was true. He was his old self again! In fact, he didn't look a day older than when the curse had been put down on the castle.
"Master this is wonderful! Oh, Adam, I'm so happy, I could sing!"
"Don't," the prince advised, "I hardly doubt being a clock improved your pitch."
Though there was nothing particularly amusing about this statement, they both began to crack up. Indeed, anyone who would have heard them would have them thrown into the asylum.
"Oh, I've been looking forward to this day for so long. Do the others know?"
"No one knows except us, Cogsworth. Should we keep it a surprise?" Cogsworth chuckled.
"Oh, yes, I look forward to hearing the scream from the master bedroom. The question of course being whether it was Lumiere or Babette!" Adam began to laugh again.
"I'm so glad everything is good now," Cogsworth said.
"So am I," Adam agreed.
Cogsworth shot up. If he could sweat, he'd be drenched in it. He looked around. No one was around him. He looked down at himself. Still a clock. He felt the anger and sorrow of the past week and the past ten years building up inside of him.
"It's not fair!" he yelled as he threw himself against the wall, "It's not fair! Why? Why? Why?" With the final why he began to cry. Still full of rage, he kicked the wall. Not feeling any better, he continued to pound against the wall, which did not put up a fight. Because it was just a wall. Just like he would eventually be just an old clock.
Lumiere was counting. Counting how many they had lost. Before, it had been rare to lose people. Each and every loss had been a massive tragedy. Now, there wasn't enough time to remember who was who. He had been counting all night, using as little of his own life as possibly. He wasn't selfish, but he was hardly going to waste himself either.
"Seventy-three already?" he whispered to himself, "Oui vey." He looked up to see Cogsworth.
"Oh, my god, Cogsworth. What happened to you?"
Since only last night, Cogsworth had become worn. There were scratches all over him.
"Are you alright?" he asked seriously.
"I had an... incident with the stairs," he replied stiffly.
Lumiere knew that he was lying. They had known each other since they were little. He could always tell. However, he wasn't going to press or pry. He'd be there for his friend, but never force himself upon him. Lumiere strode over to Cogsworth, putting a candle on his shoulder.
"Cogsworth, this is a difficult time for all of us. If you need to talk, I am here." Cogsworth nodded.
"I know, old friend, I know." Lumiere bent his head so that they were face to face.
"We will keep going. No matter what, we will keep going." Cogworth nodded.
They held a moment of silence between the two of them. It wasn't awkward. It wasn't filled with bitterness or resentment. Instead, you could only feel pain. The pain of two men who, throughout their lives, had lost everything. But they weren't ready to give up just yet. They were going down in glory.
A.N.: This story is getting so emotional, so fast! What do you think? Review and tell me!