Chapter 21- Belle Is Mine

Belle stood in the doorway, waving Gaston goodbye. She watched carefully as he rode off beyond the tree line and towards the village. Once she was certain he was completely out of sight, she closed the door and bolted it shut. Slamming her body against the back of it, she doubled over as she forced the bile back down with a gulp.

When she stood, she vigorously wiped her lips with her other hand. Every nerve in her body was shot, and she trembled at the strain of her production as all the bottled up stress and tension finally broke free. A thousand baths wouldn't erase the feel of that man's mouth on hers or his hands on her body, but she'd held it together. Gave the performance of her life. And it paid off. He would be gone for at least an hour, maybe more if she was lucky. Which gave her time to free Beast.

Tears threatened to spill over as she flew across the room and wrapped her arms around the Beast's drooped neck. What must he be thinking right now? Would he ever be able to look at her again without picturing what he'd just seen? She hoped he'd understand, that he'd know she'd only done it to save him.

Startled from his morose position, Beast snapped his head up, his eyes landing on hers. When he saw the tears there, he sucked in a breath, too cautious to believe what he thought he saw. She buried her face into his chest, and hope soared.

Was it possible that the entire scene had been one bone-chilling performance executed to perfection by a master of storytelling? It was almost too much for him to believe. But here she was, not afraid of him, her head pressed to his chest, her tears dampening his shirt as her hands dug into the nape of his neck, clinging to him. He brushed his cheek against her hair in his best attempt at returning her embrace, and kissed her head.

"Belle?" he softly said, trying to draw her back to reality.

She leaned back, her hands slowly flowing over his shoulders and down his chest, one resting over his heart. Her touch felt like heaven, and his eyes welled up.

"Ma bête. I am so sorry you had to see and hear all of that." Her face was scarlet, and she looked down in shame.

Beast choked passed the lump in his throat, "You remember me?" He didn't care about anything she had done, if only her answer to that question was yes.

"Of course I do." The tenderness in her eyes and the gentleness of her touch broke him, and tears of relief coursed down his cheeks. "On my ride here bits and pieces started trickling in. And then it was a cascade of memories and feelings, until I almost lost my balance at the overwhelming weight of it all. But what happened to you? You've been ill and no one told me? We've got to get you out of here!" She moved to pull on the chains, and he winced in pain at the disturbance as his lifeless limbs sprang back to feeling.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she gasped as she realized what she'd done.

"No… No, it's alright. I'm just so relieved you don't actually want to marry Gaston." He chuckled, and she smiled at him exactly how he remembered. She slid back in front of him as confusion crept in. He had to know. "But how… How did you do that? I would have bet my kingdom you loved him."

Belle flushed and bit her lip. She couldn't look at him, too embarrassed over all that she'd done.

"Hey." He nuzzled his head against her cheek, silently asking her to trust him. "I shouldn't have asked… It doesn't matter."

"No, it's alright. I just… I knew I couldn't get him to leave me alone with you unless he thought… He had to believe me." Her cheeks darkened and her eyes flicked to him and back to the floor. "So... I forced myself t—to imagine he was you."

Beast puffed a laugh, both surprised and a little flushed. That's how she imagined kissing him? How she wanted to. If only they could, he'd kiss her right now and show her how much he wanted that too, but it wasn't the time nor the place. And he still wasn't comfortable kissing her with fangs. But maybe he could be… one day.

Belle took his silence for disapproval, and she rushed to apologize. "I'm so sorry… I never wanted to kiss anyone but you. I sort of figured this was one of those rare exceptions, and it's not like he was my first…" No shortage of distaste colored her next words as she stood to work on the chains again. "Considering the Tobias incident. But I am so sorry…"

"Belle, no, it's fine. I'm the one who should be apologizing. There's so much I want to tell you, so much I need to explain."

As she jostled his restraints, trying to figure out how to free him from them, he groaned, "Belle, stop. Just listen to me, please." His eyes caught hers and begged her to do as he'd asked. Reluctantly, she came back around and knelt in front of him.

"I've been under an enchantment, almost from the moment we returned from our adventure. It's why I made that terrible proclamation, why I pushed you away, and ultimately, why I broke our engagement. None of that was me. I would never hurt you like that. You have to know that. I love you with everything I am."

Belle cupped his cheeks in her hands and she gazed into his eyes. "I love you too. And I know. I figured it out before I even got here. I was enchanted for almost a week, and it nearly drowned me in my own mind. I can't imagine being under its influence for months. I'm so sorry I didn't recognize it for what it was sooner. But we have to get you out of here. Can you break the chains?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm still too weak. I fought the effects of the magic as hard as I could, but it took its toll on my body. I was sick with a fever for a while, and somehow it depleted my strength at an unnatural rate. Today was actually the first day I was physically capable of leaving the castle to come see you. I should have insisted your mother tell you everything that happened. If I had, we wouldn't be in this mess," he chastised himself.

"This isn't your fault. If anything, it's mine. In my altered state, I think I started to confuse Gaston with you. So many of mine and his recent interactions mirrored our own tumultuous beginning, that I think my mind made me see the good I saw in you in him, despite it not really being there. Other than when he saved my life, looking back, nothing he's said or done has ever truly been genuine. When I replay what I thought were sweet or tender moments, I can now see the thinly veiled intentions behind it all." It was plain as day to her now that Gaston had been faking his miraculous change in attitude simply to try and convince her he was a new man. She'd been unable to see the glint of deception behind his cold blue eyes.

"What happens if we can't get these undone in time?" he asked, his face awash with concern.

"I marry Gaston, I suppose. If it means your life is spared, I'd do anything."

"No! I won't let you trade your life for another's, not again, not even mine. If he comes back, and I'm not freed, I want you to run. Promise me Belle, that you'll run and you won't stop, and you won't look back until you reach help. Please." His voice was strained, and several tears fell from his eyes.

Choking back a sob, she cried, "I can't leave you here. He'll kill you!"

"If he does, so be it. I can't live knowing he has you. I'd die a thousand times to protect you, Belle. I love you." His forehead rested against hers in the affectionate way he always did, and Belle closed her eyes, taking in his love for her.

"And I love you," she whispered as she curled her body up against his once more, this time her arms slipping around his waist.

The door burst open with a crack. The latch snapped free and wood splinters shot into the room. Gaston stomped back into the cabin, and before Belle or Beast could fully look up, he'd traversed the space and grabbed Belle by the hair. He yanked her out of her beloved's embrace as she screamed in pain.

"I knew it!" he shouted as he dragged her across the floor. Her hands flew up to grab at his hand, trying to do whatever she could to make him release her.

"No! Let her go! Stop!" Beast shouted as he watched helplessly. He growled and snarled at the vile man, but it made little difference.

Once Gaston dragged his screaming fiancée away from Beast, his free hand came down on her cheek in an open slap. A sickening smacking sound filled the cabin. Belle slumped into a heap on the floor, blood trickling from her lower lip. But Gaston wasn't through with her yet. Grabbing her by the scruff of her neck, he lifted her off the ground, his light blue eyes lit with rage.

"You lying gutter whore!" His face contorted with the disgust his words were laced with, and he struck her again, this time sending her skidding across the floor and slamming into the wall behind her.

Belle tried scrambling to her feet, but they wouldn't comply as her body was weak and dizzy from the collision. He stomped towards her again, and she curled into a ball, trying to protect herself. "I had no idea you were such a brilliant actress. Maybe when I'm done with you—if there's anything left—I'll sell you to a traveling theatre troupe where your talents can be appreciated. Or better yet, a brothel where you can convince man after man that he's your beloved." He stood over her, his thick arms crossed over his chest, his legs spread in a stance that resembled a sea captain. He withdrew a knife from behind his back and traced it along the side of her face. She could feel the cool metal of the blade as it curved along her jaw and caressed her throat in one slow, deliberate motion. "Don't. Move." His words were quiet, but chilling, causing Belle to tremble with fear. She lowered her eyes in submission.

Gaston grinned, pleased to see her finally coming to heel. Tucking the knife back into his belt, he gathered a second set of chains, attaching them to the posts of the bed across from where Beast was now desperately trying to free himself.

The metal cuffs cut into the tender skin on his wrists and ankles, and the bloodcurdling roar that ripped from his throat would have petrified a lesser man. But Gaston continued his work, tugging on each length until he was finally confident the chains would hold.

He strode back over to where Belle lay on the floor, still petrified with fear. But then, at the last moment, a burst of courage sprung out of her, and she dove for his feet, knocking him to the ground, striking his head hard on the floor. It was enough to momentarily stun him.

"Belle, run!" Beast screamed, proud of her ingenious tactic to stall the brute. She leapt to her feet and darted for the door.

She was halfway there when she heard the click of a gun's hammer being pulled back, readying the weapon. Her feet skidded to a stop. Very slowly, she turned to see Gaston training his blunderbuss on the Beast's forehead, his face contorted with rage.

"Don't stop! Keep going!" Beast shouted in a panic. But Belle couldn't leave him. She couldn't run out that door and hear the shot ring out knowing her love, her Beast, would be dead. What good would that do anyway when Gaston would be on her in a flash? Even if she managed to get to Lisette, assuming he hadn't already gotten rid of her, Axel was too fast and powerful a stallion for her mare to outrun. So where would that leave her? Still in Gaston's grasp, but with no hope that someday, somehow, she'd be reunited with the one she loved?

Belle ran across the room and threw herself onto the Beast, the gun aimed at her now. "Don't hurt him," she cried, turning her face to the side so she could look up at Gaston. "Take me instead." Her eyes shone with contrition.

"Belle, no!" Beast growled, shaking his body, trying to dislodge her from her position draped over him. His arms screamed at the sudden movement, and he stifled any recognition of his discomfort.

His mind filled with the memory of the last time he'd heard her use the phrase. Take me instead, is what she'd told him almost a year ago when she first became his prisoner. He'd never once taken the time to think about how her sacrifice affected her poor father. Didn't spare a moment for the anguish, anxiety, and utter devastation he must have caused. Maurice had begged her not to, pleaded for her to just walk out and forget him. Now Beast knew exactly how that felt, and he was ashamed for the actions of the past and determined she wouldn't throw her life away a second time, especially to save him. "She doesn't know what she's saying. I've got her under a spell. She's always wanted to be with you. I knew I couldn't win her heart, so I cast a spell on her, but the magic wore off when we returned. Seeing you brought her old feelings back. When you left, I cast the spell on her again. Swear you won't harm her and I'll release her from the charm."

The Beast was lying. There was no spell. No enchantment. Just the woman Gaston wanted as his wife clinging to a monster as if he meant everything to her. It sickened him. How could she look at it with such affection? And yet, she looked at him with contempt and disgust? He was handsome, accomplished, rich, and he deserved to have the most beautiful girl in his arms, in his bed. Yet somehow she preferred this thing over him. It made his blood boil. No one rejected Gaston!

Gaston snorted. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to fall for some lame trick?"

"You're right, I'm not under a spell," Belle admitted. "But I will leave here with you, Gaston. I'll marry you. We'll go far away from here, where no one will ever find us, and I'll cook for you, clean for you, give you as many sons as you want." Her stomach turned as she detailed the life they would live, and she felt the Beast beneath her stiffen and grumble. "I'll never touch a book again! I'll be yours—the perfect housewife you've always imagined. Just don't hurt him. We can leave tonight." She wanted to cry, wanted to kiss her Beast and promise him everything would be all right. That she could survive, as long as he did.

"And why should I believe you? What would stop you from running and coming back to that thing?" He was catching on quickly now to their pathetic attempts to get him to spare their lives. No one outsmarted Gaston either!

"I wouldn't run!" Belle insisted. "You have my word."

"As if that means anything," Gaston scoffed.

"It does! Ask him." She looked to the Beast. "When I took my father's place, did you have to lock me in? Did you have to chain me up?"

Beast gazed at her with remorse and shame, but he shook his head. "No. I didn't. You stayed because you said you would."

"See! I'd stay." She got to her feet and hesitantly came to Gaston, holding her hand out as if wary to pet a stray dog. It touched the end of the gun, lowering it. "I know this isn't you. You're just angry with me... A—and I understand. I shouldn't have tried to trick you. But I'm not tricking you now. I'll be the wife you want. The one you've always dreamt of. Just first let him go. He has an entire kingdom relying on him. Eventually they'll find him here. If you kill him, his royal guards will never stop hunting you. You'll never be safe. But if we leave here, and he's left alive…"

"What stops those same guards from hunting us down to retrieve you?"

"Even if he tried to take me from you, I wouldn't go. I'd stay, because if I can't hold true to my word, then what am I?

"He'll promise to leave us alone." Pleading eyes beseeched the Beast, and his stomach bottomed out. He wanted to say no. That he'd never give up trying to save her from that bastard. But when she came back to him, determination on her face, he couldn't deny her.

"Won't you?"

Begrudgingly, he nodded, swallowing down his protest.

She gave him a thankful smile, and added, "And a king keeps his word."

Gaston contemplated their deal, unsure if he could trust either of them. There were several towns he'd traveled through that would suit his needs, and with a beautiful wife like Belle at his side, he was sure anywhere they went would welcome them. As he thought it over, he caught an exchange between the couple. Just a fleeting look, but it was enough. Enough to tell him they were trying to con him again!

"No! No, this isn't going to work! None of this ends with me and you together. You'll both die, like your favorite characters in that confusing play you told me about. Because if I can't have you, no one will." He strode to where she stood beside the Beast, his eyes raking over her body as he sneered. "But not until I get what I want from you. Not until I've worn you out. It's all you deserve for making me wait so long."

Taking the butt of the gun, he struck Belle on the side of her head as Beast let out another terrifying roar that echoed throughout the woods. Gnashing his teeth, he snarled at the hunter, stretching his body as far from the wall as he could, forcing Gaston to jump back. With all his strength, he shielded Belle from being moved from her position on the floor.

Gaston tried to use the gun to get the Beast to back up, but he refused to move. Nostrils flared, and sharp fangs dripping with saliva. He threatened any action on Gaston's part to get closer to Belle. Their eyes locked in a battle of wills, which Gaston finally conceded to, brandishing his weapon and moving back over to his chair before the fireplace.

"I have all the time in the world. I'll get her away from you, and then you can watch while I chain her down and finally reap my reward. I'm going to enjoy every piece of her. It's over Beast, Belle is mine." The sickening smirk returned to his thin lips as he leaned back into his chair, crossing his boots over one another, stretched out like a content cat.

Beast would die before he'd let Gaston touch her again. As long as she was close enough to where he could protect her, he'd endure anything to keep her safe.

Edmund paced in front of the fireplace while Maurice continually checked the time on the mantel clock. It had already been over an hour since Belle left, and with no sign of her or the Beast, the two men's confidence that they would return wore thin.

"Why did I let her go alone? I have to find her! This doesn't feel right." Edmund closed the short distance from the fireplace to the door in three strides and was gripping the door handle when he turned back to Maurice. "Any idea where this cabin of Gaston's is?" His gray eyes looked down at the plump old man with anticipation that some clue might be forthcoming.

"All I know it's somewhere off the trail to Clermont," he offered.

Edmund nodded, then bolted out the door. He ran to the stable, and finding only the old donkey, Marcel, in residence, he scoffed under his breath before mounting the inferior animal, setting off in the direction Maurice supplied. By any means necessary, he was going to find Belle and bring her home.

After aimlessly wandering the forest, for what felt like hours, the final glow of the sun's light extinguished and plunged Edmund into near complete darkness. The moon was a sliver, offering little aid in his quest. It was so dark in fact, had he not heard the groaning from a few meters away, he would have crushed the body he discovered laying in the dirt.

To Edmunds amazement, that body belonged to none other than Tobias, who was stirring from what appeared to be a state of unconsciousness. Edmund helped the man to his feet, brushing off some of the dirt and leaves from his clothing.

"What are you doing out here?" Edmund inquired once Tobias was stable on his feet.

Tobias rubbed the back of his head and felt a damp spot at the base of his skull. "I was with Beast when we were attacked by a mountain of a man."

"Did he have jet black hair and ice cold blue eyes?" Edmund braced himself for the confirmation that they were after the same man. And when Tobias's only response was a grunt and a scoff, he knew he had his answer. "Any idea which way they went?"

"I can track them easily. But it will be faster if I do this." And before Edmund's astounded eyes, Tobias transformed into a massive wolf who then stuck his nose in the air, pulled in a deep breath, and perked his ears.

The distant sound of his best friend's roar echoed through the trees, and in a moment of pure impulse he shouted to Edmund, "Get on!" swiping with a paw, pushing the tall man onto his back before bounding off while Edmund scrambled to clutch onto the fur at his neck.

Beast felt his arms giving way under the pressure of holding himself over Belle. He was stretched out as far as he could from the wall, sheltering her from Gaston's plan to chain her to the bed. On his knees, he grit his teeth and mentally dug in against the pain. But his weakened muscles started to collapse, pulling him into the wall and away from her unconscious body. With another groan of anguish, he forced himself back to his previous position, leaning against the chains on his wrists to hover back over her, unwilling to relent and give in to the cries of his own body while hers still lay there unable to defend itself.

"You'll relent, eventually. I have no doubt. Either that, or she'll come to and latch herself into the chains on threat of watching me blast you to pieces. I told you she'd be mine one way or another. But I admire your resilience. You've lasted longer in this position than I figured you would. Although, I can't understand why you try such a ridiculous exercise. This only ends one way: with you dead, and her mine. The only question is how long do I allow you to watch?"

Gaston hefted his blunderbuss against his right shoulder and strolled back over, standing just out of reach of the weary Beast. Gaston kicked the Beast in his exposed side and watched as the monster swayed and whimpered at the harsh treatment. Once the chains settled, he resumed his vigil over Belle, refusing to give in.

Even before he saw him enter the room, Beast heard the rustling outside. Plus, there were two distinct smells filled his senses; one he recognized, and relief washed over him knowing Tobias wasn't dead. But he wasn't who appeared in the doorway. It was Edmund's tall frame that moved to the open space where the door hung at a skewed angle. He and Beast exchanged a brief look, before Beast taunted, "I'll never let you have her!"

Gaston snorted. "As if you have a choice." He glared down on the Beast, and was gearing up to kick him again when Belle finally stirred, pushing herself up into a sitting position, bringing her hand to the side of her head where a few drops of blood dripped from an already purple, swollen mark.

"Welcome back to the party, my love. Now if you would be so kind as to march your shapely derriere over to the bed and clamp those cuffs around yourself, I'd be ever so grateful." Gaston sneered down on her.

"Like hell I will!" she shouted up as she tried regaining her wits.

Beast finally released his strained position, and backed up, giving his arms enough slack to finally rest against his back. From the corner of his eye he saw Edmund clutching a thick branch, slowly approaching Gaston from behind. He'd almost closed in on him when Belle's eyes finally settled on her friend and she gasped, looking up at him with wide eyes and shock.

Gaston spun around having followed her gaze and a second later shot pierced the silence, bouncing off the cabin walls and out the door, reverberating through the forest. Belle screamed as she watched the wet, red stain spread out over Edmund's light brown shirt, and he fell to his knees as the branch clattered to the floor beside him.

Quickly trying to load the next shot, Gaston fumbled with the powder, and his legs fell out from under him as Belle lunged at him again. The gun flew from his hand and slid across the floor, disappearing under the bed. Straddling his chest, Belle got off one good punch to his jaw before he tossed her off of him, and she landed on her left shoulder with a pop.

Almost as soon as Belle had been thrown, an enormous auburn colored wolf, far too large to be a normal creature, bound through the doorway and kept Gaston pinned to the floor. For a moment, the two advisories stared into the other's eyes as the wolf's claws dug into the flesh of Gaston's shoulders. Gaston tried to reach behind him and pull out the knife tucked away there, but he couldn't get enough clearance beneath his back to get his arm around. With one sweeping movement the claws dragged down the front of his chest, and the scream that tore from the hunter's mouth was inhuman in its misery.

Belle crawled to Edmund and sat beside him, pulling his head onto her lap while tears streamed down her face. He coughed, and several drops of blood appeared on his lip while more oozed out of the hole in his side. Belle pressed down hard on the wound, putting a balled up piece of her ripped skirt in the gap to try to stifle the flow of blood. The action was greeted with a groan, and another cough out of the studious man.

"Stay with me, Edmund. Everything's going to be all right." One hand brushed his disheveled, sweat-soaked hair from his face, while the other continued pressing on the wound. Gray eyes looked up at her, glistening with restrained tears as they studied her face.

Next to them, Gaston and the werewolf tussled as Beast watched the scene before him helplessly. Gaston would land a punch to Tobias, but was quickly countered with another slash across his torso.

Blood dripping down his chest, Gaston brandished his knife and sliced Tobias's forearm, who retaliated by kicking the hunter hard enough to send him crashing into the Beast. Beast used his head to slam into Gaston's, sending the hunter reeling backward.

Gaston shook off the blow, bloodthirsty eyes now seeking Belle. Climbing to his feet, hand still clutched tightly around his knife, he shouted, "If I can't have you, no one will!" Gaston lunged at Belle with the knife held over his head, ready to plunge it in a downward thrust into her chest.

Belle stared at him in horror, unable to move quickly enough, and unwilling to leave Edmund. But at the last moment, Edmund pushed himself up, and the blade sheathed just below his collarbone.

The boom of a gunshot overtook Belle's scream, and Gaston crumbled to his knees, mere inches away from her, shaking the foundation of the small cabin. Belle looked up to see Tobias, in human form, holding Gaston's rifle, smoke billowing out of its barrel.

Gaston's eyes gazed into hers, holding her captive. "I would have... loved you, Belle," he sputtered. "Why couldn't you just... let me l—love you?" His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body crashed to the floor.

Belle gasped, squeezing Edmund's hand as she turned her head away. But she had no time to digest what she'd just witnessed or feel relieved that they were safe now. Her focus needed to be on Edmund, who had fallen back into her arms. The knife lodged in his chest ran parallel to his long face, and she contemplated how to remove it safely. Scanning the room for the satchel she had brought with her, her eyes lit when they found it on the dining table.

Tobias was on the other side of the room, breaking open the chains that had confined the Beast. The ones on his wrists were free, and Tobias was grabbing hold of one on Beast's ankle when Belle's voice called out, "Tobias, throw me my satchel from the table. Now, please!"

He bounded across the small room and tossed it to her before returning to finish the job.

Belle dug out the bandages she had brought and her mother's healing balm. It wasn't nearly as strong as Frau Gertrude's, and Belle wished they were close enough to Montiquent for Tobias to fetch some and be back before it was too late. But from the look of things, Edmund's time was running out.

She pushed the thought from her mind as she set about examining the bullet wound on his left side. It was a clean through and through, something she hadn't noticed before, and her dress was soaked with his blood that seeped out the back side of the wound. She stuffed one of the clean clothes in from the back, and Edmund groaned and twisted at the pain it caused. Belle shushed, trying to keep him calm, knowing her next step would cause even more discomfort.

"I need to remove this knife so I can tend to the wound. Do you think you can hold very still for me, or do I need to get Tobias to hold you down?"

Edmund clenched his eyes shut and shook his head. Belle finished wrapping the cloth around his torso, keeping the packed bullet hole secured, before she grabbed onto the hilt of the knife, and took a deep breath. In one swift movement, she pulled it out, tossing it to the side, and quickly covering the wound, pressing down on it as hard as she could while Edmund groaned and ground his teeth together.

Beast and Tobias walked up, coming to sit on either side of her. "How can we help?" Beast asked, placing his paw over the hand that was pressing down on Edmund's chest. Edmund grunted at the added pressure, and Belle slipped her hand out from underneath, gladly welcoming the assistance. She then grasped Edmund's hand in hers and looked into his eyes. She could see the life force draining from them, and she fought back tears, not wanting to alarm him.

He coughed slightly again and then returned his gaze to her.

"Belle," Edmund spoke softly but clearly, and Belle made a low shushing sound that he waved away like an unnecessary hand up. "No, I need to say this. You… you have been the greatest blessing of my life. A true friend that only ever made my day brighter. I am so grateful for you." A few gasping breaths, and Belle tried to keep him still, her fingers running through his hair.

"And I am so grateful to have you. Just rest, you can tell me later."

He shook his head. "No—no, I can't. You need to know. I—I used to wish we had met first. Because selfishly, I couldn't understand why you'd love the Beast and not me. But I see it now. I see that what the two of you have is beyond the kind of love one reads about in books. I've never witnessed such a love, and I am so glad to see the two of you to—together at last."

Edmund moved her hand from his and into the open paw of the Beast, looking back and forth between the two of them. "He's where you belong. And this…" He sucked in a staggered breath and coughed up a bit of blood. "This is where I belong."

Belle's tears spilled over her lids and made tracks down her bruised cheeks. "No, Edmund. You don't deserve this. You need to fight so you can find your love like this. If you go now, she'll always be searching for you." She choked back sobs, her hand squeezing Beast's.

An ethereal smile crossed Edmund's face as his eyes closed for the final time. Then his last words escaped his lips, calm and clear, "She's already here. She's been waiting for me."

I had a lot of help with this one, making it a lot more intense and flow a lot better than my first draft. TheGreenArcher, CarolNJoy, and WhiteButterfly all contributed and I am so grateful! The next few chapters will come later this week, and next week (after Easter) you'll get the conclusion of my epic tale!