Babette stared absently to the group of people intertwined together in the dance, she had been watching Robin and Demetri but that had been near of an hour ago and they had both disappeared blending into the rest of the crowd.

One thing that Babette couldn't stand was being bored, and that was exactly what she was at the moment, extremely bored of watching everyone else having a good time. Yet, she still carried with her a tray of drinks and the duty to do whatever it was that Angelic told her to do.

"Babs! You're still over hear and alone?" asked Robin stepping to her side making her way away from the rest of the party.

"Oui, where's Demetri?"

"Oh he's getting me a drink, where's Lumiere?"

Babette gave her a look but found herself too tired and utterly bored to really care, "Don't know," she mumbled.

They both looked to each other neither one being able to a keep a frown for too long.

"Think of it, Babs, he asked me to dance! Out of all the other girls here."

"It is not that hard to believe, Robin, he likes you, it didn't surprise me at least."

She smirked, "He's a fine dancer too, but I can imagine Lumiere has more experience then him."

"Can you please, neither of us have seen him all night, he's most likely too busy with his work to bother asking a silly young girl to dance."

Robin laughed, "Lumiere too busy to ask a young girl to dance? I refuse to believe it."

Babette rolled her eyes and wanting to change the subject saw the lord and lady of the castle across the room upon their thrones.

"Is that him, Sir Clarence?" asked Babette squinting her eyes. Robin sighed inwardly knowing how her friend was ignoring her comments on purpose.

"Oui, he is handsome, no?"

Babette nodded then a little boy at his side caught her eye.

"And that's Adam, his son?"

"Yes, they spoil that child I swear! He'll grow up to be a problem, handsome though, but a problem none the less."

"Isn't that always the case?" Babette said with a sigh just as a violin began to play a slow song unlike the jumpy fast paced ones that have been heard all day, it was the last dance of the evening and both girls immediately recognized it looking to each other.

Robin smirked, "Well, maybe you'll get your wish after, this was his last chance."

Babette watched as Demetri stepped to her friend's side, Robin made a small gasp and turned to face him. He smiled to her and as apparently shocked as she was gave her his hand. She looked back to Babette who thought it was indefinitely less romantic then last time and shrugged passing the two off with a lazy wave of her hand. Robin smiled to her as Demetri pulled her to where the others where dancing, Babette watched with an envious eye as the two began in a slow waltz.

The whole room had slowed its pace and Babette thought it was beautiful the way the couples slowly moved as one to the cry of the violin.

Babette glumly took her drinks she carried and walked off. She circled the crowded room keeping her distance from the others who laughed and joked in their merry drunkenness. She scanned each of their faces unknowingly surveying the room. Once she looked over the entire room she frowned and then realized something terribly disappointing; she was actually looking for Lumiere and he was no where to be found. After all these years of trying to avoid him only to have him show up when she least wanted to see him, she was looking for him. She wanted him to ask her to dance, she didn't want to dance with him but she at least wanted to know that he cared enough for her to ask. This was disappointing indeed.

In all of her preoccupation she suddenly found her self pushed forward bumped by a boisterous man busy talking to a small group of young men. She caught herself though and on the grace of god managed not to break any of the glasses on the tray.

"Excuse you, drinking on the job I see?" came the voice of the young man who mocked her arousing the laughter of the other men he was with. She turned around to see he was rather ugly and a bit over weight, he was wearing a fancy outfit though and appeared to be higher cut then her. He instantly saw she was just the help and looked down to her with his large hideous nose in the air.

"I'm sorry sir I must not have been watching where I was walking," she said with much sarcasm and a half hearted curtsy.

He laughed to her, "ye got a mouth on ya I see?"

"That's not all she has," commented one of the other men he was standing with.

She frowned to him but then looked back to the man who was now looming in front of her. He took a drink from her tray and gulped it down as she watched. Pig, she thought inwardly.

"You'll be on your way now, maid," he said in a whisper.

She put a hand on her hip angered that he was telling her what to do, "You owe me and apology good sir, and I am not leaving this spot until I get one."

He leaned in closer to her still with a ridiculous smile, "You'll be on your way now maid," he repeated breathing onto her smelling of tobacco and alcohol.

She bit her tongue and turned, he was just a dumb man after all, there were a thousand just the same as him in Paris and where ever one could travel there would be a thousand more. As she was about to walk away she heard him say something that she couldn't ignore, something that a girl of her standard would never let anyone get away with muttering.

"Why I never, you think even a cheap whore would learn some manners."

She couldn't believe this man, she began to wonder if anyone else heard when he called her to her back.

"Oh maid, I changed my mind, before you go… I want a refill."

She turned to him with a less then pleasant smile, "a refill?" she asked irked.

He nodded with a strait face as the others laughed.

"Get to it, we haven't got the whole night."

She nodded and reached for another glass of champagne, "Are you sure you want this? You'll be in need of someone to carry you out by the end of the festivity."

He, thinking he was being charming, leaned closer to her and again whispered, "I'm certain, cheri."

She then threw the drink in his face, if there wasn't a scene before there certainly was one now.

People began to whisper and soon the attention caught the eye of the last person who needed to be involved.

"My apologies," began Cogsworth rushing to the man's side. "I am so sorry…" he fumbled for a napkin in is pocket and dabbed at the man's face.

The man swatted his hand away and returned his gaze to Babette who cowered under his stern glare, "This maid is a…a…," the man said searching for a suitable word.

"A monster, a demon, a brat?" said Cogsworth looking to Babette as she looked to the ground swearing the whole world was staring at her at that one moment.

"I want her FIRED!" exclaimed the man before pushing past the crowd and storming away.

Cogsworth glared to Babette and she glanced up to him, he gave her a strange look, one she wasn't expecting; disappointment. She couldn't hold in her own feelings any more, her face twisted into a frown and she found it hard to hold back hot tears that streaked her red cheeks.

Babette looked around the room, she saw most eyes to her, she was beyond embarrassed and completely ashamed, the few that were looking to her pointed and talked to the person near them. She could only imagine what they had to say this time.

Not listening to another word he had to say, she dashed off as swiftly as she could, past the crowd, past all the workers in the kitchen and past the Lord and Lady.


Lumiere blew out a puff of smoke as he looked to the night sky. This was the first and only spring ball he had ever missed, he simply wasn't in the revelry making mood, it was such a peaceful spring night anyway.

Then he listened, he thought he heard a woman's cry, at first it was distant but then he heard it louder and louder until Babette, in her devastated state, ran directly past him stopping in the middle of the grassy area before collapsing to her knees.

Lumiere knitted his brow, what could be wrong now? He put his pipe away and was about to walk over to her when he heard another loud voice coming from the same door she had just ran out from.

"Mademoiselle! Mademoiselle!" Lumiere looked through the open door to see Cogsworth running towards him, he stopped him by placing himself in the door frame.

"Ahh, Lumiere," he said angered trying to push him away, "Step aside."

"Not until you tell me what happened," he replied sternly not letting the shorter man by.

Cogsworth sniffed the air, Lumiere rolled his eyes, "Have been smoking that blasted pipe?! Your help was needed at the ball, have you been out here all night?"

"Not all night, now tell me why is she over there crying? What have you said to her this time, I swear you can be trusted with no woman," he said changing the subject glancing over his shoulder to Babette.

"That little brat over there is a disgrace to me, to the lord and lady, but worst of all to her mother!" he yelled loud enough for her to hear, she had stopped crying but his words hit her hard and hurt much more then anything that man had said in his drunken state back at the ball. Lumiere, appalled, grabbed Cogsworth by his shoulders and pushed him back into the castle and shut the door so they both were in the privacy of the dark hallway.

"What is wrong with you, man?" he asked hushed.

"She threw a drink in the face of a guest! She will be fired by morning, I decided to let her go easy and not throw her one the street right this minute."

Lumiere sighed and shook his head. He was disappointed in the young woman, he began to wonder if she even had an ounce of sense in her little head. "Let me talk to her," he finally said.

"What, why?"

"I said, let me talk to her, there must be something I can do, can't let her sulk by herself out there."

Cogsworth looked away from Lumiere, perhaps for a moment the thought of helping the out of line maid crossed through his busy mind, but the thought was short lived and soon forgotten, "She will be gone morning, there is nothing you or I could do about it, I've given her one too many chances as it is."

Lumiere forced himself to nod and agree with him even though he didn't want to believe it, he still saw her as a child after all and himself as an adult.

Cogsworth recognized the disappointment in Lumiere's face, "Lumiere," he began somberly and as comforting as he could be though it cam across as a bit commanding, "go to the ball and make the best of the rest of it, don't bother with her, there's no sense in it."

With that he left Lumiere where he stood.


Babette had finally figured it all out; she had the exact luck of the devil if any at all.

She still sat on the ground as a gentle breeze whipped her hair in her face, she didn't mind though and she left it there. She wanted nothing more then to hide her face or to crawl under the dirt if that were even possible. At least she knew one good thing would come of this evening, she would be on her way home by morning, finally on her way back to Paris.

She sniffed and held her knees to her chest after ripping off her maid cap and letting her long wild hair fall over shoulders.

"It's rather cold for a spring night, non?"

She gasped but didn't bother to turn around, she knew it was Lumiere, she had heard part of his conversation with Cogsworth but she was too much in a state of shock to really care what he had to say.

He stepped to her side but she kept her face down, why couldn't he just go away?

"Leave me, Lumiere. I don't want to talk."

He stayed put despite her which only furthered her frustration.

"I just keep catching you like this don't I?"

"Did you not hear me? I told you to leave!" she spat, he cocked his head to her thinking to himself. "Why do want to talk to me anyway? You heard what Cogsworth said, I ruined everything… but that doesn't matter, I'm going home, back to my father, back to Paris!" she continued to cry her head hidden in her arms.

"You made a mistake," he said still looking down to her his voice calming to her overwhelming frustrations, "you shouldn't give up on yourself yet."

She rolled her eyes, "Why are you still here, there is nothing you can do for me, I'm a disgrace to my…" she stopped herself and covered her mouth crying too hard to finish her sentence.

He kneeled down beside her, she still couldn't look him directly in the eyes. "My father will be so disappointed in me," she said just in a quiet whisper, "what am I to do? I've ruined everything."

There was a long moment of silence as he watched her cry. "You're an odd mademoiselle, Babette. You're trouble and if they didn't know that then they certainly know it now."

She wiped her eyes wishing she was alone in her room with the door locked, she had been embarrassed before but with him looking over her like this she thought she'd never be able to look him at him again.

"This isn't helping me much if that was what you were meaning to do."

"Just listen to me, I told you before that I don't get in trouble, this is because I've been around long enough to get myself back out just as smoothly as I got in. I can help you."

She blinked then looked to him puzzled her hair hiding her face, "You… can help me?"

"Well," he said with a smirk, "there is something you can do for me...."

Her face fell as she stared to him blankly, he shook his head to her reaction.

"Don't fret mon cheri, it's nothing that would go against your innocence, all I'm asking for is a single chance, one night."

"What?"

"Babette, there you are!" came Robin's cheery voice from the door.

Both looked to her and she was taken back to see Lumiere, "Oh, Lumiere I didn't see you there," she looked back to Babette to see how upset she was, "am I intruding on something?"

Babette got to her feet and brushed off her skirts and walked to the side of her friend, "No, I was just about to go to my room."

Lumiere got up too and reached in his pocket for his pipe.

"I'm so sorry for what happened with that awful man Babette, I was looking all over for you."

"It's fine Robin, I'm fine, it's not the first time," she looked to Lumiere, what did he want to tell her? She knew it didn't matter if what he said was true.

"Are you sure?" she asked trying to get her attention off of Lumiere, it didn't work though Babette was still looking to him lost in thought.

"Go back to the ball, Rob, I'm sure Demetri is waiting for you."

Robin narrowed her brow, "But I've been looking every where for…" before she could complete her sentence Babette was back to Lumiere's side.

"I owe everything to you, that is, if you can save my job," Babette mumbled to him just over a whisper so Robin didn't hear.

He smirked lighting his pipe with a match, "You'll see, I never disappoint a woman."

She grinned warily to him, "I bet."

Babette walked by him and wished Robin a goodnight before disappearing into the castle.

"Goodnight," called Robin to the closed door before looking suspiciously to Lumiere who was acting oblivious to the whole situation. She knew that he had something up his sleeve.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked innocently to her stare.

She smirked, "The lord knows you have a way with words Lumiere, but… how in this world did you get her to walk back into that castle tonight?"

He shrugged stepping closer to her, "It's a gift," he puffed smoke into the air.

He too was about to go back inside when she stopped him, "You are going to help her, aren't you?"

He looked back over to Robin and frowned, "She's in much trouble… isn't she?"

Robin nodded then shook her head with a laugh, "She's something, non? Disagreeable, opinionated, stubborn… she reminds you quite a bit of someone, does she not?"

"Her mother was not nearly this ill behaved," he said pointedly.

"No, but Babette has her beauty, her smart wit, her irresistible personality…?"

Lumiere looked to her as she made a wicked smirk to him, "Is there something going on between you two I should know about?"

She made a dry laugh, "That's funny because I was wondering the same sort of thing when I saw you two out here before." She gave him the same suggestive smile and he continued to smoke his pipe.

"Well I'm sure I'll mean the world to her when she's on her way back to Paris tomorrow morning."

Robin dropped her smile as he left her out in the night alone.

"You'll mean the world to her when you stop her from going back to Paris," she said to herself.


This sort of took longer then expected but summer vacation is just around the corner and coming way too slow. If you alert please please please tell me what you like about my story and review! Thank you everyone (:
~Rose