Slowly the magic placed Adam back onto the ground before shooting high into the air above the castle, returning everyone and everything back to the way it should be. But neither Hermione nor Adam realised as they were silently gazing at the other, afraid to say a word in case it would break the spell. Almost snail-like in speed, Hermione stepped forward, her hand extended to touch his rugged face. The second it did, they both realised it wasn't a dream and Hermione leapt into his arms, sobbing, "I thought I'd lost you."

"Never, you will never lose me, I swear," Adam told her, his voice still as deep as when he had been a beast, his fingers carding in her hair.

Pulling back, brown eyes met blue and tenderly, their lips touched.

They stayed like that for a long while, until they needed air, at which time they were all but tackled by a blonde teenager, "HERMIONE!"

"Chip?" Hugging her former teacup friend, Hermione looked about and noticed that everyone was back to normal, "The curse, but, it was past midnight."

"Well, it worked for me didn't it?" Adam laughed before moving over and lifting a plump white haired woman off of the ground and hugging her, "Mrs Potts."

Two men stood beside the Englishwoman, one tall and thin with long deep brown hair and the same coloured eyes looking only a few years younger than the other man who was also shorter, larger with a pencil moustache and light brown toupee; they were already arguing, "Lumiere! Cogsworth!"

With Chip by her side, Hermione ran over to her friends and held them close before changing with Adam, and was held in the motherly arms of Mrs Potts, "My dear Hermione, sweet girl."

"Mrs Potts"

"Enough of that, it is Tia"

"Tia Potts?" Hermione laughed lightly, "I wonder how the magic ever thought to turn you into a teapot?"

They all had a great laugh at that, and as the others made their way down into the castle to find the others, Hermione and Adam remained out on the balcony, looking out over the grounds as they stood in each other's arms. When he placed a kiss on her head, the prince saw his love flinch and remembered how badly she had been injured, "You're hurt Hermione, come."

Before she could complain, the witch was being cradled in the strong arms of the man and carried to her bedroom. When in there, she grabbed out the potions she needed, and took some but handed over a single vial, "Dittany."

"The first plant I ever learnt about from you," taking the vial, Adam smiled and placed a small amount of the obvious split in her scalp, "He, he didn't…"

"No, but he was going to," Hermione then gasped, "Maurice! I left him there alone; oh I hope he's fine."

Pressing her into the bed, the man calmed her worries, "I will have someone go and check on him. No doubt that is the same one who brought you to me?'

Nodding, the witch pulled her love closer to her, "That would be right."

"I may need to thank him for trespassing," the space between them vanished as their lips once more connected.

This time when they parted, Hermione groaned, "I need to get cleaned up."

With a devilish sparkle in his eyes, Adam asked, "Want company?"

"Oh you are messing with trouble mister. As much as it sounds excellent, I'm bathing alone and you are going to make sure everyone is alright," the brunette kissed him once more and softly said, "I love you Adam."

"I love you forever more Hermione," another kiss and they parted, though very reluctantly, and Adam left the room. He found his servants having a grand party in the ballroom, though the entrance and staircase were covered with bodies and blood, so when he walked in the first thing he said was, "You all do know that there are bodies out there right?"

"Of course but they will keep until we get Hermione to help us dispose of them," Cogsworth explained, "Rather hard to explain how an entire village was wiped out due to a magical curse 10 years old, so we figured that she'd have an idea how to explain it."

The prince nodded, "That is understandable. Is everyone alright?"

"Fifi had a few feathers, sorry, hairs pulled out, but other than that we're all fine," Lumiere said from his place, holding onto the maid who was holding her hurting head.

Adam still held onto the vial so gently dotted the liquid onto the open wounds in the black hair, "There. Now, how about you all get some rest? I would like for someone to head down to the village and make sure that the man who trespassed here 5 months ago is fine, Hermione was worried about his state."

"I can go, I've been there before," Chip spoke up from his spot on the floor by his mother.

"No young man, you are going directly to bed. Oh no," Tia gasped, "None of our rooms will be ready. Everyone, at attention and get started on cleaning."

There was a great rush as the large group of his employees left the room to clean things up for bed, leaving only Lumiere and Cogsworth in the ballroom, "I suppose we are the ones to check on the trespasser."

"If you would Cogsworth"

As the major-domo puttered off, complaining about the cars probably not even being there anymore, Lumiere wandered over to the prince's side, "You know, without a village, there is no need for there to be a prince."

"I am aware of that Lumiere," Adam smiled, "There is also no need for me to remain in the same castle that was like a prison to us all for a decade. Do you think Hermione would like the Caribbean or perhaps the Mediterranean?"

"I think you should ask her yourself sir, but perhaps be aware that none of us who work for you have been paid in 10 years," Lumiere laughed as he too left.

'That's a point, I have no idea about my family's finances, damn,' the man slumped into a chair and felt the events of the last 24 hours catching up to him.

Hermione had finished her bath and wrapped up in a warm robe, and walked out to her room only find it empty, which she hadn't at all been expecting. Putting on some slippers, the witch made her way down to the ground floor, banishing the dead bodies to the backyard when she saw them, and heard scuffling about as people cleaned, 'Must have realised that they had no clean living quarters'. Not finding her love in the dining room or kitchen, she looked in the ballroom and found him slumped in a chair, his head in his hands, "Adam?"

Hearing her voice saying his name lightened the man's heart, and he lift his head to see her coming towards him wearing nothing but a robe and slippers, bringing a smile to his face, "In a hurry to find me?"

"I was worried, it happens," pulling another chair up to beside him, Hermione took his hands into her own, "What's got you troubled?"

"We were all changed when I was almost 11 years old, and while I was schooled as the beast, I was not ever taught things that I'll need to know for the outside world; why would I when we were all certain that there was no chance of returning to human form? But now we are, and I'm a 21 year old prince without a kingdom, not that I care about that, but I also have no idea how to live on the outside and how I am to care for you," his face blushed from shame, "My family was wealthy at one stage but I wouldn't know the first way to find out our finances now."

"Hey," pulling his face to look at her, the witch smiled, "I have already got a plan, if you would like my help."

The kiss was a good enough answer, "What's the plan?"

Smothering a yawn, Hermione laughed, "First thing is that we get some sleep. Come on."

By the time they reached the top of the staircase, Hermione's hold on his hand was far tighter than usual, and Adam was stunned when she pulled him towards her bedroom, "Umm…"

"Don't worry Adam, I'm not like that," the brunette chuckled at the deep blush on the man's face, "We sleep but I'm not about to be parted from you after I've only just gotten you."

So with a large grin on his face, the prince eagerly followed and was about to jump onto the bed when he saw that he was bloody and dirty also, "Perhaps I should clean-up also."

"I'll leave some clothes on the chair by the door for you," Hermione laughed and watched him leave.

After he was washed and they were both dressed, the new couple got into bed and held each other tightly, falling asleep with large smiles on their faces.