Okay, to those who asked, yes it actually happened. And here is the aftermath of that. And yes, I plan for Gaston to be punished once Agathe returns.

I know our Beast of few words has a decent sized speech here. But after what happened to Belle he has a thing or two to say to Gaston. Oh dear...Gaston gets chewed out again by Beast, and it's probably a good thing there is a cell door between them...because the Beast does (understandably) have thoughts of putting the literal 'chew' in 'chew out'.

Okay, Agathe should be returning soon. But before that happens, I think I'm going to put a chapter in right after this one of Maurice and Beast having a conversation. It's kind of interesting how these two met under rather unpleasant circumstances, not liking each other at all, and now they're working quite well together. I think a chat between these two as they bond over their mutual love of Belle would be interesting to see unfold. So that will probably be what comes right after this chapter, then after that we'll again see Agathe.

Maurice was halfway through the blood-stained corridor when Belle entered the other end. She seemed frantic. Traumatized even.

"Papa!" she cried out. "Gaston! He locked me in a room! I finally broke out! He's loose! Papa, he...he..."

"He's in the tower locked up Belle," Maurice said. "But wounded Beast in the process. Badly. Do you have the vial Agathe gave you?"

"Yes," Belle said. "Take me to him!"

"We must hurry," Maurice said. "He's only barely with us!"

As they ran, Belle took the vial from her pocket, fearing what she may find. When they arrived where the Beast lay, they both knelt beside him.

"Beast?" Belle said with concern.

No response.

"Beast!" she cried. "Is he unconscious or dead? That determines dosing frequency. If he's dead I just hope we're not too late for this. Oh Beast I can't lose you now!"

"He's breathing, slightly," Maurice said, lifting his head from the Beast's chest. "He's got a faint heartbeat."

"We give this every ten minutes then," Belle said, opening the vial of blue liquid. "Hold his head for me please."

Maurice cradled the Beast's head in his hands so the mouth was facing upward. Belle carefully let two drops fall onto the Beast's tongue. After a moment Maurice placed the Beast's head back on its side.

"Is there a reason he's on his side?" Belle asked. "Should we not roll him on his back?"

"I did briefly to see the wound," Maurice said. "He coughed up some blood. I think it's best he's on his side so if it happens again it can come out easier and not choke him."

"What happened?" Belle asked.

"We were waiting for your return," Maurice said. "We grew concerned so I went to fetch the mirror. When I came back Gaston's gun was on the floor in the hallway and a blood trail led here. He was conscious but very weak. He said he'd locked Gaston in the cell."

"If there was a blood trail and the gun was in the hall that must be where he was shot," Belle said. She looked at the blood trail leading up the tower staircase. "He must have somehow managed to get Gaston into the cell and back down before he collapsed."

"What I gathered," Maurice said. "I had no time to ask. I had to get you down here with the potion. I'm not sure he could have explained it anyway in his state. I told him to hold on while I fetched you and left him."

"Why was he out of hiding?" Belle asked. "I know we expected Gaston later but if you were concerned enough to check the mirror you must have entertained the possibility he was already here. What was the Beast doing in the open?"

"I don't know," Maurice said. "He was supposed to be hidden. By the way Belle you're shaking. Like you've been through something. Is it just the condition the Beast is in or is there something else?"

"Something else," Belle admitted. "I'll tell you when the Beast has regained his strength. It's not something I wish to repeat."

It wasn't until after the third dose was administered that the Beast showed signs of returning consciousness.

"Beast," Belle said softly, stroking his mane. "Beast I'm here."

"Belle..." the Beast said weakly. He took her hand in his paw.

"I'm so glad you're awake," Belle said. "It took three doses of Agathe's potion. I was starting to worry it wasn't working."

"Did I...lose...consciousness?"

"Yes," Maurice said. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I...I was shot," the Beast said. "Gaston...shot me."

"That's right," Belle said. "Seems you managed to drag him up to the cell and get back down here before you collapsed."

"I...was so...focused," the Beast said. "I...pushed through...to do...what...needed done. Then...it just...sort of...hit me...that...I was...injured..."

The Beast coughed up more blood.

"Don't try to talk, anymore," Belle said. "Wait until you're stronger. Just rest now."

After another two doses, the Beast no longer needed to cough up blood. His breathing became a bit easier. After another dose, he regained some strength and rolled onto his back.

"How are you feeling?" Belle asked after the seventh dose at the one hour mark.

"Better," the Beast said, his voice stronger. "Breathing's easier."

"Can you sit up?" Belle asked.

"I'll try," he said.

With Belle and Maurice supporting him, the Beast tried to sit up, but was still too weak, so they gently lowered him back down.

"We'll try again after another dose or two," Belle said.

After two more doses, the Beast felt like he might be able to sit up. Again, with Belle and Maurice supporting him, he moved to sit, this time successful. He remained sitting when Maurice and Belle removed their hands to see if he could sit on his own.

"We move to twenty minute dosing now," Belle said. "The wound looks to be healing."

This continued until the two hour and forty minute mark, when finally the Beast was fully healed.

"My shoulder even feels like it's fully healed even though I didn't use this stuff for it," he said.

They finally had their lunch, though Belle seemed to not have much appetite and just sort of picked at the food on her plate. They then moved into the parlor and sat down. Belle was shuddering, and seemed to have something troubling her.

"Is something wrong Belle?" the Beast asked, concerned.

Now it was time she had to tell them. She had to tell them why she was so traumatized. It was a wonder, perhaps, that Belle was able to set aside her own internal turmoil to tend to the fallen Beast. She knew it was a good thing, because losing the Beast was already an unbearable thought. But to lose him after what Gaston did to her was utterly out of the question. She took a deep breath.

"I was just coming in here to get Lumiere when I heard the door open," she said. "It was Gaston. I managed to knock him off balance and grab his quiver and destroyed his arrows. He dragged me to a room saying he had to make sure I didn't cause him anymore trouble. After he left me locked it took me so long to bust out. But while we were both in there..." Belle burst into tears.

"What happened Belle?" Maurice asked. "What did he do to you that has you so distraught?"

"He said he would claim what was his," Belle said through her sobs. "Which it turns out meant my virginity. He..." Her voice was now but a whisper. "He raped me."

"Why that...that SCOUNDREL!" Maurice said angrily, standing to his feet. "I hope there's a bullet in that gun! I'll shoot him myself!"

"Sit Papa," Belle said. "No need to stoop to his level. He's not a threat in the tower."

Maurice reluctantly sat back down.

"I admit I have a mind to rip him apart," the Beast growled. "But you're right Belle. We're better than that. I...I don't know what to say. I am so sorry this happened to you."

The Beast was, at this point, experiencing a mix of anger and heartache. He was angry that Gaston dared to violate Belle in such a way. And he was utterly heartbroken that Belle had to be violated in such a way. Under his very roof. Without him there to put a stop to it.

"Are you all right Belle?" Maurice asked, reaching over to put a hand on Belle's shoulder.

"I will be," she said tearfully. "I think. Probably. At some point. Maybe."

"Oh Belle," the Beast said. He walked over to Belle's chair and took her hands in his paws. "I should have come down here with you."

"No," Belle said. "He'd have shot you and then dragged me off, and I couldn't have used the healing potion on you."

"Maybe I could have overpowered him first," the Beast said. "If I had been down here I'd have stopped this happening to you or died trying."

"You'd have just died trying," Belle said. "Then he'd have done it anyway. And I'd have lost you. I couldn't handle that. I was so afraid the potion wouldn't work and you'd leave me. If you died I think I would have died. I know I'd have wanted to."

Belle threw herself sobbing into the Beast's arms. He just held her close to him, finding himself close to tears. He wished he could undo what had been done. The heartbreak he was going through was right up there with what he went through watching his staff and Chip become completely inanimate, if not worse, if that were even possible. He felt like a failure. He loved her. He should have been able to keep her from this horror. Belle was such a strong woman. It nearly killed the Beast, at least that's how it felt, to see she'd gone through something so terrible that she was nearly inconsolable. The one with the strength to take her father's place by shoving him out of the dungeon and closing the cell door on herself. The one with the fortitude to refuse his order to dine with him. The one who, after fleeing from the Beast's fury, had the grace to help him back to the castle after he saved her from the wolves and nurse him back to health. The one who had the kindness to give him a chance to be a friend. The one with the gutsy sense of humor to engage him in a snowball fight, and the dignity to handle his ginormous snowball knocking her over. The one who handled, with surprising grace, if understandable sadness, discovering the fate of her mother. The one who trusted him to lead her in a waltz. The one with the honesty to tell him the truth, not just what he wanted to hear, pointing out the difficulty of a captive being truly happy. The one who, no more than ten minutes later, after being freed from her captivity, actually said she wanted to return with her father, in spite of how he had treated them both. The one who had the bravery to face a lynch mob bent on throwing her father in the asylum. The one who stood by him as he grieved after helplessly watching his staff, who he'd come to consider friends, even family, become lifeless, ordinary objects right before his very eyes. And, most amazingly, the one with the heart capable of loving a Beast, something he had long since given up all hope of ever coming close to.

And through it all, she handled everything that came her way with amazing composure. Sure she shed a few tears here and there, but accepted what she had to face with grace and dignity.

And because of one selfish man visiting upon her the worst kind of violation a man could ever perpetrate against a woman, she was reduced to a shaking, sobbing mess. And he felt utterly helpless. He just held her, wishing for all the world that he could do more. He held her close until her traumatized body could cry no more and she pulled out of the embrace, for the most part, while not breaking contact. She looked up into his compassionate eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I kind of lost it there."

"If there's anyone who has every right to lose it it's you," the Beast said. "You need never apologize for responding how anyone in your situation would be expected to respond."

"I'm just glad I didn't lose it until after I'd gotten you back to health," Belle said. "If I'd broken down at that point and not been able to help you you'd be dead. And I know I couldn't handle that."

"You're a very strong and amazing person Belle," the Beast said. "I'm not surprised you were able to hold it together long enough to do what needed to be done." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Will you be all right with your father for a bit?" he asked softly. "I'd like to go have a word with Gaston."

"I'll be all right," Belle said. "Just please don't be too long. And remember, don't stoop to his level. Don't get physical as much as you want to."

"All right," the Beast said.

"Tell Gaston he can also look forward to me having a word," Maurice said. "Nobody lays a hand on my daughter as he did without being treated to a piece of my mind!"

The Beast made his way to the tower. Once there, he announced his presence with a growl.

"Ah, you're alive I see," Gaston said. "And looking quite well for having been shot in the chest. I was sure you'd be dead by now. And dragging me up here and going back down after I shot you had to weaken you quickly, no?"

"You might find I'm a rather hard beast to kill," the Beast said. "Especially when I have access to a potion that can heal an injury like mine in just over two and a half hours. But that is irrelevant. Let's talk about Belle."

"Ah, Belle," Gaston said. "My future wife, who I've come to rescue from you."

The Beast snorted angrily.

"Rescue?" he asked sarcastically. "Seems like you're the one she needed rescuing from! She told her father and I what you did to her."

"What do you mean?" Gaston asked. "Locking her in a room to keep her safe while I defeated you?"

"I mean what you did to her before leaving her there!" the Beast growled.

"What? Oh you mean consummating my claim on her?"

"Exactly," the Beast said, amazed by how proudly Gaston seemed to admit his deed. "Except you have no claim on her. She is not some prize to be won and she is certainly not some plaything for you to do whatever twisted thing you want with her!"

"Twisted?" Gaston asked. "You call what I did twisted? Certainly it's better that I do it than you. If you want to talk about twisted, what about this love affair between a woman and a Beast...an animal?"

"My patience is wearing thin!" the Beast snarled. "First of all, whether a Beast or a man, I would never do anything like what you did without her full consent. Second, it is because of the form I am currently in that I would not do it even if she were to consent. I have enough humanity to know that there are boundaries that must be respected!"

"But if you were human there would be no boundaries," Gaston said.

"Oh you couldn't be more wrong," the Beast retorted. "Sure there wouldn't be the cross-species boundary there that exists now. But there is still the boundary of consent. A concept you seem to have trouble grasping. You know at my worst, before I was cursed to be the Beast I acted like with my cruelty, I never forced myself upon a woman like you did Belle. As ruthless as I was that's something I never would have done."

The Beast hoped this was true. He had actually never met a woman before with whom he'd have wanted to be so...physically close to. But he liked to think that even when he was at his worst, rape was something he'd have never been capable of.

"You know, I have a lot of anger for what you did to Belle," the Beast continued. "A lot. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to open that cell door and do you some serious bodily harm right now, and believe me the only thing keeping me from doing so is I'm above that. I've learned to be merciful even if I don't want to be." He paused, letting his words sink in. "But you know what Gaston? More than the anger is the heartbreak. My heart shattered to see the strong and courageous woman that somehow managed to get through the barrier around and steal into my meloncholy heart, and teach said heart how to love, without even realizing she was even doing it, so emotionally wounded and violated."

"What was she to expect?" Gaston said. "I mean, she wouldn't willingly marry me. She should have expected that I would eventually have to put my foot down and teach her something about submission."

"You disgust me!" the Beast said, nearly roaring. "You blame her for what you did? You think what you did is justified? I have a mind to let you rot in this cell for the rest of your life for how despicable you are! But I plan on a visit from the enchantress who cursed me tomorrow. Who taught me the lesson I needed. Since you did not take my advice the other night, I think I shall see if she'd like to teach you your own lesson. And like I warned the other night, I think you'll wish you'd learned without her assistance. So if she'll take you on I shall hand you over to her. And that, Gaston, you vile creature, is about all I have to say to you. Though I think Maurice may be paying you a visit before long. He's not at all happy with what you've done to his daughter."

With that, he turned on his heels and left Gaston to contemplate the second chewing out he received from the Beast. He stopped to pick Gaston's gun up off the floor and put it in the storage room they planned to hide in to ambush Gaston. He didn't want Maurice seeing it lying in the hall and recall his earlier contemplation. He noticed the trail of blood he'd left earlier, now the only reminder he'd been near death. He just wished he'd shed that blood protecting Belle from the horror that had befallen her.