Here's another chapter for you lovely people!

The curtains had been closed in the sitting room. It was dark and somber, with only small lamps lit around the outskirts of the room. Where the couch had been was now a bed, though it bore the same pattern as the couch had. Mal guessed Fairy Godmother had magicked it into a bed to better accommodate the ailing boy.

Mal's eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light. Beast stood at the corner bookcases, staring at the spines. He looked empty and lost as if what had been alive in him was quickly crumbling. His wife sat on the edge of the bed, holding Ben's hand and stroking the back of it. Her eyes were red and puffy, and used tissues littered the floor beside her.

Fairy Godmother walked past Mal, moving to Belle's side. She touched the woman's shoulder and said something to her before picking up the tissue box and offering her a fresh one.

Mal stayed by the door, afraid to move forward. Everything was silent, like a funeral service. If someone had sneezed, it would have been the equivalent to an explosion.

Ben whined, spurring Mal into action. She walked over to the side not currently occupied by his mother and peered down at him. He was covered in sweat, his hair sopping wet. The covers were only drawn up to his waist, and Mal immediately saw why. The black mass that had taken hold of his heart was thriving, its tendrils having wound themselves through all the veins in his torso. They curled around his navel and his shoulders, reaching out for his hips and biceps.

His eyes were restless under their lids, and his chest rose and fell rapidly. If they were her mother's doing, Mal didn't want to imagine what kind of nightmares he might be having.

His head tossed to the side, and he groaned. The sound was slightly muffled by the pillow. His hands clenched into fists, and Belle drew back with a cry. Mal looked over to her. She was shaking her head.

"It's alright," she insisted to Fairy Godmother as the woman pressed tissues to her hand. "He already got me earlier this morning." Her hand was bleeding, covered in deep slashes.

Mal looked at Ben's hands and saw what had caused it. Instead of normal fingernails, claws had sprouted from his fingertips. Now, as he clenched his fists tighter in his fit, his palms bled freely on the yellow sheets.

"Can't you do something?" Mal asked.

Fairy Godmother glanced up from tending to Belle's hand. "I've tried. He only gets worse if I focus spells on the claws." She nodded to the bed. Mal stepped closer and focused her eyes on the sheets. She hadn't noticed at first, but they were shredded in the places closest to Ben's hands. Claws had ripped through them, and blood stained the sheets in more than a few places. Scorch marks and burn holes marred the bed as well. Looking back at Ben, she saw claw marks stretched up his forearms as if he had had a bad itch he couldn't resist.

"Why haven't you bandaged him?" Mal asked. "He's losing blood."

Fairy Godmother looked solemn as Belle looked back at her son and began stroking the back of his hand again. "We have," the headmistress said. "But, his body must sense it. Well, the curse must sense it, I mean. Every time we've tried, there's green fire that burns through the bandages and starts him bleeding all over again. The curse won't let us heal him." She looked back to Ben. "This is the best he's been all night, I'm afraid."

Mal carefully sat on the edge of the bed out of reach of his claws. "I understand," she said softly. "And I'm sorry."

"This isn't your fault," Belle said.

"It is," Mal said. "I fell in love with him, so it is my fault." She was silent for a moment, examining his claws. "Is he becoming..." She trailed off and glanced pointedly at Beast's back.

Fairy Godmother shook her head. "No, the claws don't seem to be related to a beast form. They're there so he'll harm himself, I figure. And the cuts will start getting infected. Fluid has started to build in his lungs." She grew quiet and apologized when Belle started crying again.

Mal reached for his hand, cautious in the event that his claws might catch her. When she touched him, he flinched and opened his eyes.

"Mal," Ben said, his voice no more than a whisper. "Mal?"

She moved closer so that she would be in his line of sight. She slid her fingers underneath his, lightly stroking his palm. "I'm here, Ben. I'm so sorry."

"Mal?" His voice rose, and his eyes searched for her. White, fogged eyes. Blind eyes.

She looked to Fairy Godmother in horror, and the woman swallowed. "He lost his sight around four this morning. His hearing has started to go too."

Mal looked back to Ben's face. He looked like a lost puppy, his eyes searching frantically. She squeezed his hand. "Ben! Ben, I'm here!" she said loudly. To her, her voice sounded like a cannon in a void. "It's Mal. Please, you have to be alright. I love you. I love you."

At her words, his eyes glowed with green power. His hand snapped shut, and she cried out as his claws tore through her skin.

"Remove her!" Beast snapped.

Mal pulled free of Ben's grip and stood. She stared as he thrashed on the bed, green fire glowing around his hands now. She shook her head, not wanting to believe it. Not wanting to believe she could cause him that much pain by saying three simple words.

She backed up to the door, unable to pull her eyes away as she saw Belle and Beast approach their son. They held each other, watching as Fairy Godmother rushed to extinguish the flames that took to the bed. She did nothing about the ones on Ben's body, but the flames didn't seem to be hurting his skin as much as they were trying to set the room on fire. He was screaming now, crying.

Mal reached behind her, found the door handle, and let herself out. She ran all the way back to campus, forcing herself to believe that the more distance she put between her and Ben, the safer he would be. She had to leave. She couldn't let him die, especially not like that.

She packed, shoving her clothes and all her important possessions into a bag. Once she had zipped it closed, she sat on the edge of her bed. The tears came faster than she had anticipated, hard sobs ripping from her throat as she slipped Ben's ring off her index finger. She pulled a scrap of paper and a pen from her bedside table and scribbled a quick note on it. She laid the note on her bed and set Ben's ring on top of it.

"I'm sorry," she said to the ring. She drew the back of her hand across her face, trying to wipe her tears away. She slung her bag over her shoulder and left the room, praying Evie would forgive her for forcing her to find a new roommate.

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Foarrin