Adam had struggled for a few weeks after Gustave betrayed them and fled the castle, having a difficult time finding his footing again. It was still hard to believe Gustave had done such a thing; he had been friendly and helpful almost till the end, never showing anyone the treacherous thoughts churning behind his charming smile. But Belle did the best she could to help Adam and the advisors were of great assistance. She and Adam did their best to explain the situation to Brigitte, but she didn't seem terribly torn up about it.

"He never wanted to play with me," she said with crossed arms when they told her. "I don't think he liked me at all."

Belle was also glad to hear that Adam's letter had reached the king and he received a reply thanking him for his concern. She wasn't sure how seriously Adam's warning about Gustave was taken, but at least they had tried. Besides, it would take quite an elaborate and murderous scheme to rise to power at the royal court. Though Gustave was the king's brother, there were three other brothers in line, not to mention several nephews, before Gustave would be able to claim any sort of power.

So their lives slowly returned to normal, going about their tasks as before and closing the gap Gustave had left.

Autumn was closing in, bringing golden colors to the trees and a new year for Belle's schools. The kinks had been mostly worked out by this time, lessons used, edited, and reused, supplies regularly provided, and on Belle's frequent visits she was pleased to see that the teachers in her charge were getting along quite well with their villages. Even Alexander and Belle's old village seemed to be agreeing with each other. She was just discussing how well things were going with the four advisors (after having battled back a bout of early-pregnancy nausea, which reminded her she and Adam still hadn't told Brigitte about the baby) when the door to the library opened behind her.

"Maman," Brigitte's voice called for her, but before Belle even turned she heard the weak way in which she called and immediately Belle's heart jumped in her throat. Belle turned and saw her daughter clinging to Chip's arm, a frown turning down the sides of her mouth.

"What is it, my darling?" she asked, immediately moving to kneel in front of her daughter, worry coursing through her.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Belle. I knew you were busy, but she's not feeling well and she wanted you. I didn't know what else to do," Chip said as he stood, Brigitte still clinging to him.

"You did exactly right, Chip," she said with a grateful smile at the ten year old. "Thank you."

"I don't feel good, Maman," Brigitte said, her tiny voice quiet and clearly miserable. Belle took Brigitte's face in her hands and her eyebrows knit together at the heat of her daughter's skin.

"Don't worry, my darling. Maman will help you feel better," she promised and picked Brigitte up so she rested against her hip. "Chip, will you get the doctor please? Tell him we'll be in Brigitte's room. I'm so sorry, monsieurs," she added to the advisors still sitting behind her. "We'll have to continue this later. Please excuse me." All four of them nodded quickly and Belle lost no time in bringing Brigitte back to her room.

"There now, all cozy in bed," Belle said calmly, having gotten Brigitte into her nightgown and tucked under the covers. "The doctor is coming to look at you so we know how to fix it, all right?"

"I don't like the doctor," she said, hugging her favorite doll close to her chest.

"I know, mon ange, but he likes you very much and wants to make you feel better."

"I want Papa."

"I'll get him as soon as the doctor leaves," she promised. But such a promise was unnecessary; when the door opened to reveal the doctor storming in, Adam was right on his heels.

"Papa!" she cried, holding her arms out to him. Adam hugged her fiercely, then told her to let the doctor look at her.

"What's wrong with her?" Adam muttered as he and Belle waited a few feet away while the doctor did his work.

"I'm not exactly sure. She has a fever, but no cough, otherwise I'd say it was influenza," Belle said, trying not to wring her hands together. No sooner did she finish speaking than Brigitte broke into a short fit of coughing.

"It's influenza," the doctor said, leaving Brigitte's side to talk to them. Belle nodded, relieved the doctor could confirm her suspicions. "She'll be fine if she takes this medicine with something warm to drink and gets lots of rest. You, Mistress, should take great care not to get sick as well. Not with that baby on the way," he added and left.

"He's right, you can't afford to get sick," Adam agreed.

"But I can't leave my child like this," she protested stubbornly. "We haven't even told Brigitte about the baby. She won't understand." She would not let her child think she didn't care about her. How could she leave her child when she was so sick? She was her mother, it was her duty to care for her.

"I know, but you have to think about this child, too," Adam insisted, putting his hand gently on her stomach.

"Maman?" Brigitte called and Belle stepped out of Adam's reach to go to her.

"Yes, my love?" she asked, sitting beside her on the bed.

"Will I die?" Brigitte asked, her beautiful blue eyes wide in fear.

"No, of course not," Belle laughed. "I know you don't feel good now, but you will get better before you know it. Papa and I will take good care of you, and read you stories, and you'll get to sleep whenever you want to." Brigitte nodded, her chin disappearing under the covers, and Belle reached forward to tuck a curl out of Brigitte's face.

"Actually, your Maman and I have something to tell you that you can think about while you rest," Adam said, coming up behind Belle and putting his hand on her shoulder. Belle sighed and looked up at him, his own blue eyes looking at her pointedly.

"Brigitte, in a few months, you're going to have a little brother or sister," Belle said, turning back to her daughter.

"I am?" she asked, one eyebrow cocked in confusion.

"You are," Adam confirmed. "What do you think about that?"

"It's all right, I guess," Brigitte shrugged. "I'd rather have another doll." Belle couldn't help giggling at that and she heard Adam chuckle as well.

"Well, you think about that baby some more. But the baby right now is starting to grow inside Maman's tummy," he explained. "And the baby can get sick in there."

"Like me?"

"Like you," Adam confirmed. "But it's so tiny right now, it's not strong like you are. Maman has to protect the baby from getting sick, so you and I will be able to spend a lot of time together while you get better."

"But not Maman," Brigitte said, understanding.

"Only until you're feeling better, my darling," Belle said quickly, frustrated with Adam for starting this. "I'll blow you kisses from the doorway every night," she promised. Brigitte nodded at this, but Belle noticed how her eyes began to tear up. Her daughter's first time being truly ill, and Belle could not be beside her. Belle leaned forward to kiss Brigitte on her forehead and left the room before Brigitte could see her own tears. Adam came out a moment later, and she was waiting for him.

"How could you do that, Adam?" she fumed, quietly so Brigitte wouldn't hear. "It was going to be a special moment telling Brigitte she has a brother or sister coming, and you just go and make me blurt it out like that!"

"Belle, I'm sorry, I just thought it would be safer for the baby," he tried to explain, but Belle was livid.

"This is the first time our daughter has been so sick and now you've told her that I can't be with her! How do you think that makes her feel? How do you think I feel? I should be there with her, making her feel better. I am her mother!"

"And I am her father, and the father of our unborn child. I have a right to keep my family safe," he retorted, his anger obviously rising although he kept his voice down as well. "The doctor said it isn't good for the baby to be around this. I will take care of Brigitte and you must take care of the baby."

"This is ridiculous," she hissed, crossing her arms. She knew Adam was right, that if Belle got influenza it could be potentially lethal for the baby, but she couldn't concede to not taking care of her daughter.

"Belle, please. Do you really want to risk our child's life?" Adam was fervent about this and Belle could see the worry in his eyes. Belle wanted to doubt it would come to such a thing, but running the risk was irresponsible.

"Fine," she said shortly and stalked away, angry she couldn't be with her daughter, and even angrier that Adam had been right. Tears pricked at her eyes and she grew more angry that her emotions were running so wild with her pregnancy. Not in the mood to deal with anything more, Belle retreated to the West Wing and collapsed onto the bed with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, baby," she said, putting a hand on her stomach. "Of course I want to take care of you, but your sister needs me." With that thought in her head, Belle burst into angry tears.

Adam's POV

He left his daughter asleep in her bed, looking so small and helpless. He hated that she was so sick, and hated still more that she wanted her mother there beside her and could not have her. Belle had taken being sent away badly, but he knew he was right about this. Brigitte would easily recover from this illness, but the baby might find it too hard to deal with. If there was even a chance his baby might not survive, Adam would do everything in his power to keep his baby safe. Still, he couldn't help but feel as though he had torn his daughter and his wife apart from each other, and he felt a guilt similar to what he had felt when he threw Belle's father from the castle in exchange for Belle.

With a sigh, Adam stood before the doors of the West Wing and shook his head at the turn of roles. Now it was Belle who was hiding there in anger and frustration and Adam thought he knew a little of the apprehension Belle must have felt standing before the same doors with the Beast inside. He knocked once and opened the door, finding Belle on the bed on the other side of the room, curled up on her side with her back facing him.

"Belle?" he called, but she didn't answer him. He walked over to the bed and sat beside her so that he could see her face. Carefully, he tucked fallen strand of hair from her forehead and she opened her eyes to meet his. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," she said with a sigh and sat up. "I just want to be there for her."

"I know you do. You're such a good mother," he said honestly.

"I should probably spend the nights in my old room," she continued. "Since you're spending a lot of time with her."

"Oh." Adam didn't think of that, but if they were going to be careful, they should be thorough. "All right. I can go somewhere else too, if you'd rather stay here."
"No, you should stay near Brigitte," she insisted. "It's only until she's better and we're sure you don't get sick as well." Belle put a hand on his chest, her fingers wrapping around the lapel of his coat, but her eyes fell to look at her knees.

"Belle," he said softly, tucking his hand under her chin to suggest she look at him. "It'll be all right." She nodded, but said nothing. He sighed, knowing this was hard for her, but also knowing in a matter of days she could be with Brigitte again this would be forgotten.

And so it fell to him to look after their child, telling her stories, making sure she took her medicine while Belle went about her duties as princess, largely avoiding the West Wing and Brigitte's room except to send her promised nighttime kisses to Brigitte from the doorway.

Adam found he had a difficult time seeing his daughter so ill, his mind going to memories he had not visited in years and ones he would have liked to forget. When his own sister was ill as a child, Adam never was able to enter her room, never was able to do anything for her. He didn't even get to say goodbye to her. His sister had scarlet fever, a very different and much more dangerous illness than influenza, but she was around Brigitte's age when it took hold of her. Scarlet fever took both his mother and his sister away from him, he would make sure influenza would not now take his daughter.

Maurice came in several times in the three days it took Brigitte to get well, always playing (gently) with her and making her smile. Adam was grateful for that and admired how well Maurice handled his grandchild.

"Have you seen Belle?" Adam asked him once on the second day. "She's basically quarantined herself from us. She won't see me, she won't even talk to me."

"She's not taking this well at all," Maurice informed him with a sigh. "She's so passionate about her child, it's tearing her apart not to be near her during this. She's always been fierce when it comes to her family. Are you sure it's so dangerous for the baby?"

"The doctor said it could be, and I don't want to take any chances," Adam replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I hate it, though. I miss her. Brigitte misses her. I wish she would just talk to me." Maurice patted his arm and gave him a sympathetic look, but had no words to comfort him.

"No temperature, no cough. I'd say we're out of the woods," the doctor after the third long day of Brigitte's illness.

"Did you hear that?" Adam exclaimed to Brigitte, relief flooding him. "You're so much better! When is it all right for Belle to see her?" he asked the doctor.

"I'd wait till tomorrow, just to be safe," he replied, packing up his things. "You've taken good care of her, Your Highness." Adam was startled by this praise from the crotchety doctor, but was glad to know he had done the right thing. He would never admit this to anyone, not even Belle, but he had been frightened out of his mind that his daughter might meet the same fate his sister had.

Brigitte's joy that she might see her mother soon interfered with his unpleasant memories, however, and he had to focus on making sure she stayed in bed as the doctor insisted she should for the rest of the day. He sat beside her as he had for most of her illness, reading her stories, playing games with her dolls, and wondering what Belle would say when he told her their daughter was getting well.

He didn't have too long to wait; after lunch, he convinced Brigitte to take one more nap to help get the last of the illness out of her and then he left to find Belle. He knew she hadn't stopped her work even though she had been avoiding him, so though he thought to check her old room first, he turned down the hall towards the library instead. She was there alone, sitting at a desk going over a small pile of papers.

"Belle," he called, relieved to see her. She had been avoiding him as he suggested, but she hadn't even talked to him. He knew she was angry about the whole situation, but now it was nearly over. Still, he wished she seemed a little more glad to see him.

"The doctor said Brigitte is much better," he said, his good mood spoiled when she failed to smile at him. "You can see her tomorrow." Belle nodded and he could see relief flood her face, but didn't say anything. Adam waited a long moment, looking at her in her lavender dress, so beautiful, but now so aloof. When silence continued to dominate their conversation, Adam sighed and turned to leave. Something had happened to his Belle when Brigitte fell ill, and he couldn't help feeling it was a bit his fault.

"Wait!" she called and he froze. He heard her sigh and he turned, hoping.

"I'm sorry," she said, standing and taking a few steps towards him. "I hate that I haven't been able to see her, and I blamed you because I had to blame someone." She reached to take one of his hands, holding it tightly. Adam looked at her and saw how weary she looked and he doubted she had slept well at all. "It wasn't fair, and I'm sorry."

"Oh, Belle," he sighed and raised his free hand to hold it to her cheek. "It's all right, of course it's all right. I'm just glad you're not angry with me."

"I've been unfair to you. I can't make it up to you."

"Of course you can," he said with a laugh, gently tilting her face up so he could bend down and press his lips gently against hers.

"You'd better not get me sick," she whispered with humor when the broke apart. Adam chuckled and kissed her again, glad to have her back.

"Maman!" Brigitte cried as Belle entered the room the following day.

"Hello, my darling!" Belle said with a smile, kneeling to take her daughter in her arms. Adam watched, glad to see his Belle smile again. "Feeling better?"

"Much," Brigitte said with a resolute nod.

"Good," Belle said and kissed her cheek. "Papa did such a good job of taking care of you, didn't he?" Belle looked up at him with a smile and Adam smiled in return, glad she was starting to return to her usual self.

"Is the baby all right?" Brigitte asked.

"Yes, I think so," Belle replied, still kneeling.

"Tell your mother what you told me about the baby," Adam suggested, kneeling beside Belle, putting one hand on her back and one hand on Brigitte's shoulder.

"I said. . ." Brigitte paused as if to remember. "I said that I think I would like the baby."

"I'm very glad to hear that, my darling," Belle said, her smile absolutely radiant and Adam smiled, content that everything would be all right.