A/N: Hey! Thanks for bearing with me while I'm working this story out. I'm pretty excited about this chapter, because this is when the gears start turning to move everything towards the conclusive end.

-Emily :D

Maurice jumped when he heard the unmistakable sound of gun fire outside. He got up and ran to meet it.

"What's happening? Is everything all right?"

Then he saw the young man, the twenty one year old man, standing in the new light of the day, a gun against his right shoulder. Adam aimed, aimed, and Maurice jumped again as the gun fired.

He looked over to where Adam was shooting at, towards the little hill that rose off to one side, towards the castle beyond the woods. A bottle sat not too far off, and after both these shots it still looked as intact as ever.

"Adam?" Maurice said, not sure what the young man would do at the disturbance.

The younger man sighed, looking disappointed, and removed the gun from its place at his shoulder. He turned to Maurice.

Maurice tried a friendly smile. "Getting in a little practice?"

"For all the good it's doing. Took me a little while just to figure out how it even worked. I could have shot my face off, probably."

Maurice felt very sorry for the man. It was so clear that he wanted to do something to save Belle, but neither of them could figure exactly what he could do. Maurice, in this way, found the man a little endearing. He imagined that this must have been what Belle had seen in him all along. She had such a loving heart. Of course Belle would have found the good, even in a monster.

"Why don't you come inside?"

Adam nodded. Once they were in the cottage, Adam felt into a heavy chair and looked out the window. Maurice returned to the table and his plans.

"I have no skills." Maurice looked up to see Adam still gazing out the window. "I can't protect her. I can't fight. I can't shoot. I can't—" Adam looked over to Maurice and the table, "—do whatever it is that you're doing." Adam leaned toward Maurice. "Do you know, I couldn't even read or write much of anything until I met your daughter?" He shook his head. "The only use I was to anyone was as a beast. That's all I was good for. Brute force, like when I saved her from those wolves."

Belle was endangered by wolves?

Adam continued. "And now... now I understand how useless I am as a person. How useless I... always was."

Adam stared at Maurice intently for a moment and then turned away.

Maurice pitied the man now more than ever. "You love her, don't you?"

Adam turned around again, looking taken aback. He started what was about to become a protestation. "What? I—" He stopped, and his features cleared. "Yes. More than anything... or anyone. I love her."

"So," Maurice paused, "why don't you lead with that?"

"What?"

"It looks to me like you're sitting here, upset that you can't do violence, rush in and save my daughter. But I never raised my daughter to need a strong, violent man. All I ever hoped for was that she'd find someone to love her and understand why I think she's beautiful, and it has nothing to do with her appearance, as pretty as she is. I think you see that. This Gaston, he'd been trying to court her for quite sometime. I remember asking her about him one day. I said he was handsome. Do you know how she responded?"

"No. How?"

"She rolled her eyes, called him rude and conceited. She said he wasn't the man for her. And he has plenty of skills. He's famous several towns over for all his... heroic exploits. She wanted no part of it. My Belle," Maurice pointed to his mind and then his heart, "she lives here." Maurice gestured to the air. "Not as much out here." He gestured to his appearance. "And certainly, not here. You don't need to fight for her, Adam, using your fists or a gun. Just love her, and go from there."

Adam cocked his head to the side, letting out a noise of some sort, something between a "Hm" and a "Huh". Maurice could see the wheels turning, the expression changing as if the boy were one of his inventions. Maurice got up from the table and patted Adam on the shoulder. "My boy, you have my blessing."

Adam turned his face upwards and cautiously cracked a smile, although surprise was clear through a furrowed brow.

"You... really?"

Maurice nodded and sat down. "I'll admit, I'm surprised, too. But," he shot a glance over at the boy, "you're—you're not going to change back into that, that thing, are you?"

Adam frowned. "I... don't think so. There shouldn't be any reason for a," he paused, "return."

Maurice nodded. "Not on a full moon? Not at the prick of a spinning wheel?"

"A spinning wheel?" Adam shook his head. "No."

Maurice turned back to his plans, with a feeling of renewed vigor. He snatched them off the table, standing up with a little flourish.

"I'm off to the workshop! Get yourself cleaned up—"

Adam got up from his chair, looking as energized as Maurice felt. "I'll do you one better. Can I borrow your horse?"

Maurice scratched his head. "Of course. Why?"

"I'm going to lead with love."

Adam dashed out the door.

Maurice glanced at the door and then his plans, and nodded.

The door opened again. Adam's head appeared. He looked a little embarrassed.

"I don't know how to put the saddle on."

Maurice let out a small laugh. "Allow me."