Lumiere and Michelle quickly got back to the palace, where the other servants where still partying.
"Schmidt is dead!" Lumiere shouted, as they entered the ballroom.
Cogsworth frowned. "Lumiere, stop making such tasteless jokes!"
"It's true!" Michelle insisted.
"What?" Mrs Potts.
Cogsworth mouth dropped. "But...how?"
"I have no idea! He got stabbed and bled to death I guess." Lumiere said.
Mrs Potts fainted, Cogsworth put his head into his hands. "Oh, my god..."
Michelle turned to him. "It's my fault...if Lumiere hadn't taken my hand, he wouldn't have died..."
"It's not your fault." Cogsworth said. "Let's go and get his body inside."
When the Prince returned and heard of his servants death, he decided that from now on Cogsworth would hold the position of the deceased one.
He also ordered Lumiere and Michelle to find out who the murderer was.
"Why us? Who does he think we are? Holmes and Watson?" Michelle asked, as she and Lumiere sat at the huge garden under the fullmoon. She didn't want to do this, since she didn't want to think of the dead servant anymore. It just upset her.
"It was a bad week for all of us. The maids fear for their líves, now that a possible murderer is around."
Michelle rolled her eyes. "Yeah, no one says there'll be more victims. They should calm down a bit."
Lumiere gently chuckled. "I know we missed the opputunity on the party, but...I've got something prepared." Lumiere said.
Lumiere cleared his throat, before started to sing.
Never knew, I could feel like this,
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Everyday I love you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change, winter to spring
But I love you, until the end of time
Michelle smiled, as she started to sing as well.
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
It all revolves around you
Both:
And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather,
And stars may collide
But I love you, until the end of time
Come what may, come what may
I will love you, until my dying day
Michelle hugged Lumiere and gave him a kiss.
"Never leave me!" she said, tears streaming down her face.
"I promise I will."
Weeks kept passing and soon, it was close to christmas.
Michelle had finally finished her present for Lumiere, as she saw a shadow lurking at the door.
"Elena?" Michelle saw the young woman enter her room.
"Hey." Elena said quitley. The usually shiny black hair was messy and dark rings were visible beneath her dark blue eyes.
"Are you alright?"
"I am...I just...the Prince decided that he wouldn't want me and I got...k-kicked out of the choir." Elena shrugged, pretending that it didn't affect her.
Michelle knew very well, what that was supposed to mean: Elenas heart got broken. Not by the Prince, though.
"But...wasn't the Prince all over you?"
"Ha, he thought I was too disobedient to be his wife and he decided to rather pick a french girl as his wife." Elena sighed.
"And why did you get kicked out of-?"
"Because there was "no need for me" anymore. I wasn't "of use"." Elenas eyes were full of regret. "I'd like to apologize. For everything. I'm sorry. Can't we get a fresh start?"
Michelle smiled. "Of course. And you and your aunt could-"
"No! No, I'm sorry, but I could never become what she wants me to be..."
"I understand."
Elena went over to Michelles paintings. "May I?"
Michelle nodded.
Elena looked through them. "They are pretty good. But...hey!" Elena had just found the painting, Michelle had made of her. "Who is this?"
"A woman I met at THAT night."
"I see. You never found the murderer, did you? Maybe it was her." Elena suggested.
"Maybe. She...had told me, I'd lose a friend if Lumiere finds me..."
"Maybe she killed him and told you this, so she wouldn't get suspected? I personally can't believe a "prophecy"."
"No, I got the feeling it was real."
"Hm, well if you think so. i personally don't believe in magic."
Elena started to look through the paintings again. Suddenly she noticed something weird. "Who is the brown haired girl? You painted her countless times." Elena said. And it was true. Most of Michelles paintings were of this girl. Different ages, clothes, poses, but certainly the same girl.
"That's my Belle. She was my best friend in the village. I miss her..."
"I'm sorry." Elena said.
In the early evening, most servants sat together in the living room. Mrs Potts had made cake and cookies and hot chocolate. The snow outside was falling and Michelle and Lumiere sat together. Her head rested on his shoulders.
Elena sat there with Cogsworth, talking about Spain and how Elena didn't even know what snow even was, until she moved here.
The fire in the fire place cracked.
"Tommorrow is christmas eve, lets sing!" Lumiere suggested.
The others agreed. "I'll start."
Lumieres deep voice started to sing "White Christmas", as the other cuddled together, watching the fire place or the falling snow. Michelle thought it couldn't be more perfect. Boy, was she wrong...
On Christmas eve, in the morning Michellle could not find Lumiere. "Where could he be this early?" she wondered, as she made her way through the castle.
She suddenly heard an annoying giggle behind a closed door and...Lumieres voice? She quickly opened the door and saw Lumiere with..."Babette?" Kissing!
Babette blushed and hurried out of the closet.
"Michelle, it's not what it looks like!" Lumiere said.
"Tell THAT, to your new girlfriend!" Michelle shouted, slammed the door (and accidentally hit Lumiere, who was about to exit) and ran off, crying.
There'll be only one more chapter of this story (I'm planing a sequel though, but before I start with that, I'll finish "Look into your eyes", my Hercules story).