Chapter 26

She smiled shyly, and his knees nearly buckled. What was it he was supposed to do now? He caught sight of Lumiere signaling him to escort her to the table. The distance between them seemed very far and he somehow made it to her without tripping over his own feet.

Despite her confidante appearance behind the façade, Belle was nervous as well, concentrating on each step towards the table. She could actually feel the Beast's paw trembling slightly, ever since they had touched and it was a sweet realization.

How odd it seemed that one who could appear so strong and powerful could display insecurity as he did, so unsure about himself and careful with his movements. It was just one of the many things about him that appealed to her. She wondered if there was anything about her that he might find appealing too, but pushed the thought away.

The dinner was splendid as always, and the coat rack, very happy to have an audience, had provided very elegant entertainment upon his violin. The harmonious tone from the music had calmed the mood, though there was still a great degree of uncertainty between the two diners.

Belle focused on the rhythm of the song, as a strong feeling came to her. What was causing this sudden need, this intense desire to touch him, hold him as she had longed for months now. Am I that afraid to leave here, to lose this companionship, that I'm driving myself to this? Does it really matter why? Then all at once she no longer cared what her heart, her head or anyone else had to say about what was right and wrong, or even what was real.

She just to give in to this, regardless of anything, or she would risk leaving here with regrets. She rose from her seat and went down the table to him. Her skirts flowing around her, as she moved, quickly before she changed her mind. Belle took a hold of the Beasts paw, pulling him up from his own seat. "Would you please dance with me?"

The Beast had forgotten that was part of his request for their evening, only now he wished he could take it back. To be brutally honest he was awful at dancing, and his coordination had never improved, no matter what the amount of effort.

Still the way she was looking at him with such…could it be …desire? That refusing her would be an unthinkable act on his part? But was it real, this look, and this feeling that it brought on. Was his mind once again working against him, trying to convince him of things not meant to be. Should he ask her, what was she thinking, did she actually…..Don't you DARE, his own mind answered. Don't you do anything but dance with this girl, no matter what, even if you fall on your face!

He had nothing to argue with that order, and lead her down the hall to the ballroom, the site of many former parties and watching his own parents dance; it had once been his most favorite room in the entire castle. The star filled sky came upon them through the huge glass windows. With the light cast from the sparkling chandelier of crystal and gold the painted ceilings could be easily viewed from anywhere in the room.

They halted near the center of the room, directly beneath the chandelier, where Belle again took his hands placing one around her lower waist. Never in his life had he done this and he nearly fainted in shock, but giving a hard swallow managed to keep his ground. Only now the coat rack had arrived, bringing others to provide music, they stuck up a melody and it was time to start moving.

He whispered to Belle in a panic, "I…I don't know how" She calmed him with a knowing look "it's okay It's been a while since I've done this myself, but we can just start simple…maybe the waltz?" She started guiding him with her movements, softly counting the steps to a graceful waltz. "1,2,3,1,2,3" The Beast followed her lead into each step and felt himself becoming more at ease. All those useless lessons from instructors who strictly taught by the rules alone, never letting any joy into their teachings. Never would he have guessed that this could actually be fun.

For Belle, simply being there in his arms, she felt a powerful sense of security and compassion. He felt it too, only for him it also came with that delicate scent of her hair. It was just them, alone in this world, a wonderful place where nothing else could interfere with this dance and the music that surrounded them.

It continued on, Belle drawing ever closer to him and bringing her tempting scent with her. The both thought the same; let's just stay this way, moving through life in a dance. Just being here together, never again facing loneliness or….

Belle had to stop then, the Beast casting a concerned look "Are you all right?" she was a bit out of breath and her face was flushed. "I'm sorry, my shoes are really hurting my feet." He had to chuckle at her remark, he couldn't help it. "No wonder, look at the time." Nodding towards the large grandfather clock its hands showing it to be nearly 10:00. They had been dancing for hours, completely losing any track of the time. Belle laughed with him, kicking off her shoes, which brought soothing relief.

They were both in need of a rest, and the cool night air beckoned them from outside on the baloney. Out there the night sky became even more defined, and with no clouds with each star was visible glowing down. They sat together there under the night, on a stone bench.

Neither knew what to say, but there was so much that needed to be said. The Beast knew that now was the perfect time to talk with her, but….how could he? "Um Belle, I….I was wondering….have you been happy here with me?" It was a good starting point, and besides he could hardly get any others words to form correctly, so this would have to do.

Belle was smoothing out the folds of her dress, trying to come up with some way to keep this evening from ever ending. Had she been happy, did he really need to ask? "Yes of course I have, everyone has been so wonderful, and you…" She paused, not wanting to say the wrong thing. "You've been very kind, a better friend then I could have hoped for and…I wish I could stay." She regretted that instantly, how she could have even considered that. The Beast would never understand, and she still had to leave.

The Beast said nothing, and for a split second she hoped her words had gone unnoticed, but they hadn't and his heart was soaring at them. She wanted to stay with him, she actually wanted to remain here, and it was almost too good to be true. "You could stay, if you wanted too."

It was so hard to hear him say this, almost like a plea, and wanting to comply as much as she did. How to explain, she couldn't, she had something she had to see through. "I do, it's just…." She turned away from him, unable to take his eyes, those beautiful blue eyes. Her hesitation was sending mixed signals and the Beast now was the one trying to get her to open up to him. "Belle...please tell me, if something's wrong…." Why did his words have to be spoken with such an innocent tone, it would have been easier to take his anger.

"It's not that, it's just…" she again began; only this time she knew there was no choice but to be honest. "When I first came here, I was actually looking for someone…. and I still need to find him. I had made a promise to…their brother to find out what became of them, and I can't break that promise. So I have to go, and finish what I started months ago." Hearing this Beast was crushed, knowing it was a lost cause, if she had her heart set on seeing this promise of hers fulfilled then there was little he could say to stop her from that.

Still he had to keep hanging on to the hope that she did at least still care for him. "I understand…and I…." I hope you know how much I care for you, how much I think about you, how beautiful you are to me. Dozens of possible phrases ran through his head, and he couldn't bring himself to say even one. Above them the night grew even darker and the early rains of the season began moving their way across the country, rolling thunder could be heard.

Belle looked up towards the rolling clouds, seeing the irony in how the weather now perfectly matched to the mood. A much louder sound of thunder came resounding, with a strong echo that made her gasp; it had come from so close. She turned to the Beast, "I have to go check on Philippe, he hates loud noises and I'm sure he'll be panicked." Not waiting for any response she slipped her shoes back on and gathering her dress around her, let the Beast sitting there, still silent. One single questioning remark repeating over in his head, why did I ever think I could do this?

Some of the servants had remained within ear-shot of the pair, and were completely baffled at what possibly could have gone wrong. It had been going along just swimmingly and had now struck dry land. They could give no explanation and were inclined to follow their master's lead, and wait for her to return.

Author notes: I think it's safe to say this was the most emotionally involved chapter I've ever written. I always loved the ballroom scene and decided to spice things up just a little. Still much more to come :)