CHAPTER 2: Looking in a Mirror

Was he dead?

Percy couldn't be sure when he woke up to find himself wrapped in the massive cloak, by a warm fire. He set upright as his eyes surveyed his surroundings. They were dark, but had a certain elegance to them. Quiet, yet giving the feeling that he wasn't alone.

Standing to his feet with some difficulty, he kept the cloak around him. It was cold, which told him his initial question had the answer of "no" but didn't answer the biggest one: who had saved him that night? Where had they taken him?

"What..." He nearly leapt out of his skin as a deep voice came out of the darkness. "Is a child doing out in a storm this fearsome?"

He noted a shape near a corner of the room, but found the figure only retreated further. He stopped himself and stood there for a long moment before he spoke again: "Well? Speak boy. It was my property you were found on. I believe I deserve an explanation."

Percy tried to quell his fear, detecting some frustration in the voice. "I was trying to escape... Someone..."

"The master of your house?" The voice asked. Percy felt a lump in his throat. "Do not be afraid, it is not my place to turn you in."

Percy shifted on his feet for a moment. His green eyes peered at the man in the shadows, but couldn't yet see him or if he were telling the truth. "Yes, monsieur. I know to a man of considerable wealth," he noted how fine the furniture nearby appeared. "It seems like an insult.. But I heard him discussing my sale..."

"Sale?" The voice countered, there was a low growl to his voice. "You do not sell servants."

Percy fiddled with his cloak a little. "That's how I came to him, sir. I don't know the reason. Only that I was sold to him as a babe," he tried to keep calm. "But the man he was selling me to... He was even crueler than who I worked for. I had to run... Had to try..."

There was silence from the man now, and Percy took a few small steps forward again. "Won't you come into the light? I wish to properly thank the man whom saved me."

The silence labored on a few moments before the man spoke again. "If I do, you will be afraid."

"No I won't," Percy asserted like any good eight year old might. "Please, come out."

It seemed as though hours passed before the sound of shuffling came. And when the man stepped out, Percy was a little ashamed to say he almost fell onto his back. Not a man. But a tall, fur covered beast with the same brown eyes he'd seen earlier that evening.

"I warned you," the beast spoke. "I am not the kind many wish to see."

Percy stared for a moment, before taking cautious steps forward. Not afraid, but rather, amazed. And he wasn't the only one, for now that he was awake, and the light glow of the fireplace hit him just right he'd no doubt noticed it...

Percy had had the scar on his face as long as he could remember. He didn't know where it came from, whether it be birthmark, or wound. But the vertical line that ran from the brim of his nose, to the top of his forehead always made people give pause.

"I'm not afraid," Percy replied. Voice a little tight. "Some people say I'm a monster too... Many are afraid."

He had noticed the beast's gaze soften, even the smallest bit. Brown eyes studying him as if contemplating what to say next, as if having expected him to flee in the night and never look back. "What is your name, child?"

Percy was surprised that would be his next question. "... Percival. But my friends call me Percy."

The beast regarded him for a long moment. Grunting and pacing, as if Percy had run some dagger through his plans. The boy didn't understand what was wrong, but he could tell there was conflict in his features. And worry. "You are safe here," the beast finally spoke, voice tense and words strained. "You may bed here for the night. And eat if you are hungry."

Percy was silent, was the beast showing him kindness? Honestly, he didn't know. "Merci, monsieur," he managed after some hesitation. "But I do not want to trouble you. I will wait until the storm passes and be on my way."

The beast grimaced, and lifted his head. "This storm will not pass until morning. You will find warm clothes on the couch," he told him politely. Percy made note of the offered clothes. "And food in the dining area to your right."

As the beast started to leave, Percy had only one further question. "Excuse me?" The beast turned his head quietly to stare at the young boy. "You have my name, but did not give me yours."

The beast regarded him for a long time. As if debating on if he should even entertain such a notion - heck, did he even have a name? Then he finally answered. "My name is Adam," it sounded as if it had been long - too long since he'd spoken it to anyone else. "And my only request is the west wing is off limits. Otherwise, you may make yourself comfortable."

And then, as quickly as he came, the beast was gone.

What on earth was that?

Adam didn't tell anyone his name! He was simply the master, or the beast... But that infernal child. Who was he to show up in the middle of the night? With a face like... That? Pulling out feelings that Adam hated - pity, understanding.

He swiped away several by-standing objects in his room, none of which were servants at least, and heaved a deep breath. This was, by its very definition, a distraction. And he did not need distractions - not from a boy. He needed a woman, a wife, he needed Belle.

He seated himself on his bed and attempted to grasp his feelings... Belle had made him kinder but it had not hindered his anger. And some of it was directed toward the story the boy told him. How could anyone...

Well he knew exactly why.

Sure, he had only been cursed with his looks. But people feared what they didn't understand. That which was different. When he had been prince he would have even scoffed at the boy's scars that permanently disfigured his face. He could imagine it was the same for his master, maybe even for his family.

He knew why it made him so angry: he was looking in a mirror. Thinking of an eleven year old boy who was cursed to be a hideous beast.

"Sire?"

It was Cogsworth, of course. Adam lifted his head as the small clock entered the room, no doubt giving him an update on the boy. "The child has eaten and made a bed in the East Wing," he pointed out. "At your request we did not reveal ourselves to him. But Mrs. Potts and Chip have agreed to stand guard inside his room. Keep an eye on things."

Adam simply nodded his head. "What did you make of the boy, Cogsworth?"

The servant tapped the brim of his "chin" quietly. As if considering his master's question. "Very scared, very timid," he explained honestly. "He's barely skin and bone... I feel for the boy but there is nothing more we can do..."

Adam was silent.

And Cogsworth, the busybody he was almost immediately spoke up. "No, no. He cannot stay sire. A child complicates things. Far more than you understand," Cogsworth shook his head. Only having Adam's best interest at heart. "Do not forget your time is almost -."

"I know it's almost spent," Adam snapped. "Even so, I have missed... Human company for some time now."

Cogsworth only said what he was thinking. "I saw the boy's face," Adam frowned, turning his head to look at him. "... I suppose I understand your feelings. But I still believe you should be setting your sights toward finding Belle."

"If I go into the village, they will kill me." He explained. "They could never look past my form."

The servant was silent then, before adding. "Or perhaps you're simply afraid -." Adam swiftly turned, ready for a shouting match. "- Apologies sire, perhaps you are simply not ready for what you will find."

Adam huffed a little, a low growl erupting from his throat. He wasn't afraid. Belle had long forgotten him, and that much he had been absolutely certain of. Now he only prepared for the inevitability of what would happen on his thirty-fifth birthday. At the very least, in his last few months... He could show someone what he had only once been shown in his time as a beast:

There was kindness in this world, if you knew where to look.

"I've made my decision," Adam replied honestly. "The boy will stay if he agrees to it."

Cogsworth looked more than a little confused. What had come over the beast? What was he thinking...? He opened his mouth to argue but Adam's own glare of warning told him he had his reasons. That he would not move from those reasons. And that the conversation was over.

"Very well," Cogsworth sighed. "Goodnight, sire."

As he left, Adam wondered what the next day and his words would bring.

A/N: Given Percy is no longer Belle's son I did need a reason for Adam to be drawn to him. So I hope this is a good one!