Belle stood on a step stool with a bucket and paintbrush, stretching to reach the top of the wall.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Gaston's stern voice made her jump and nearly drop her bucket.

"I wanted to paint the nursery."

"You know all you had to do was ask and I would have done it. You should not be up on that stool, and you should not be stretching like that." He came and helped her down from the stool and took away her bucket and brush.

Belle huffed. "More overprotective coddling."

"Belle." Gaston's voice carried a note of warning, he was becoming cross.

"Fine, no more step stools."

Gaston nodded, satisfied. "I saw your father in the village, he says he wants you to come over to his house. Go on over there, I'll handle this."

"What does Papa want?"

"He didn't say."

Belle kissed her husband and walked to her father's house. He was preparing a new canvas.

"Ah, Belle. I want to paint you carrying my grandchild. I just need to get a few quick sketches and I can do the painting from them." He placed her in front of a window and put her hands on each side of her growing belly then tilted her head down so she was gazing at it. "Not much longer now," he beamed. "I hope I didn't disturb your rest."

"I was trying to paint the nursery," at the site of her father's frown she rushed on, "but Gaston took the paint away and said he would do it."

"Good man. Tell him to save a wall for me, I want to do a mural."

Belle's feet and legs were beginning to ache, it didn't take much standing these days, when her father announced he was finished. She examined the sketches with a smile. "Thank you, Papa. It will be a lovely portrait."

Her father nodded and shooed her out the door so he could get to work.

Belle arrived home to find Gaston, LeFou, and Stanley each painting a wall of the nursery.

Gaston grinned at her. "I conscripted them to make sure it's done and you stay off the step stool."

"Papa says leave a wall for him to do a mural."

LeFou made a few last sweeping strokes with his brush and wiped his brow on his sleeve. "Guess that means we're done."

Belle inspected their work and pronounced herself satisfied. "I'm going to clean and sweep the house."

Gaston raised his eyebrows. "We just scoured every square inch of this place yesterday."

"Then I'll sew some more diapers."

"We already have more than enough."

"Gowns, then, or bonnets, blankets."

Gaston put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. "Belle, we are ready for this baby. There is nothing you need to do but sit down and rest."

"I'm sure there must be some mending to do."

"There's not," Gaston replied firmly. He led her to her favorite armchair by the fire, sat her down, and propped her feet on a stool. "You sit right here and read." He handed her a book." I'm going to pick up dinner from the cafe. You rest. I insist, Belle. You've been running yourself and the rest of us ragged for days."

"I know," Belle fretted. "I don't know what's wrong with me, I just can't seem to relax and be still."

Gaston sat down on the footstool, pulled Belle's shoes off, and placed her feet in his lap. He began to gently knead one and worked his way up her tired leg. Belle couldn't suppress the little moan that escaped her. "We're ready, Belle. Everything is ready." He pulled a bag of coins out of his pocket and tossed it to LeFou. "Can you two go down to the cafe and pick up dinner while I make sure my wife stays in this chair?"

LeFou and Stanley left discussing what to order. Gaston continued to massage her feet and legs. Belle leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Have I really been running all of you ragged?"

When Gaston didn't answer she opened her eyes to find him frowning at her feet.

"What is it?"

"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking."

"About what? Can't have been pleasant."

He sighed. "I was thinking back to the day I made such a fiasco of asking myself to dinner and squashing your cabbages."

Belle felt the corners of her mouth tilt up. "Yes, what of it?"

"Well, that night in the tavern I was describing my ideal home and marriage to LeFou and I was telling him you'd be massaging my feet. I was just so...self-absorbed. I never thought about your needs, your desires." He shook his head in disgust.

"Gaston." She reached down to tenderly cup his cheek. "We've been through this. You changed. You are a loving, caring, and giving husband. You make me truly happy."

He slid off the footstool to kneel in front of her and placed his large hand over hers. "Do I, Belle? Do I really? Because you have made me the happiest of men."

She tried to lean forward and kiss him, but her belly got in the way. She fell back into the chair laughing. "I'd kiss those worries away, but your child won't allow it."

Gaston chuckled. His laugh had to be one of her favorite sounds, deep and rumbling. "Already causing mischief," he beamed.

He leaned forward over her belly and kissed her deeply. That's when she felt it, an intense squeezing in her lower belly. She pulled away from Gaston and gasped.

"What?" His eyes were full of concern. "What is it?"

"A contraction maybe? I don't know. I had all those ones the doctor said were false. I'm not sure."

"Shall I go and fetch him?"

"No, let's wait a bit. I don't want to drag him away from his dinner for another false alarm."

LeFou and Stanley returned with a dinner of roast pheasant, broiled potatoes, and peas in butter. Belle managed to nibble some potatoes, but her appetite was quite gone. She grimaced as she felt another contraction.

"Again?" Gaston asked.

She nodded.

Gaston glanced at the clock. "About twenty minutes from the first one."

"What?" Stanley looked concerned.

"She's had two contractions."

Stanley started to rise from his chair. "I'll go get the doctor."

"No, not yet. We want to be sure it's not a false alarm."

All eyes were on Belle now, and she felt self-conscious. "Back to your dinners, gentlemen. No cause for concern...yet."

"Eat, love. If you are going into labor, you need your strength."

Belle forced down some pheasant and took small sips of water.

Another pain came. This time it was LeFou that announced, "Eighteen minutes."

Belle stood and began to pace.

"Sit down, Belle. You'll wear yourself out." Gaston frowned.

"I can't. I feel...I don't know...I feel as if I must walk."

"Alright." Gaston nodded. "But I'm going to walk with you."

Belle was too anxious to be annoyed. She took her husband's arm and together they paced the room, back and forth, back and forth until another pang came."

LeFou had just opened his mouth to give the time when she felt it, a great rush of fluid and suddenly she and Gaston were standing in a puddle.

"Oh, no!" She exclaimed and started to kneel down. "Fetch me a towel."

"Don't you dare!" Gaston growled. "Stanley, fetch the doctor. LeFou get Maurice. Belle, bed...now."

He was like a commander issuing orders on a battlefield. He steered her towards the bedroom and she knew better than to resist.

"Remember, the doctor said it's not good to lie flat."

Gaston nodded. He arranged the pillows so she could lean against them and helped her prop herself up in the bed. Another contraction came, stronger than the last.

"Fifteen minutes," Gaston stated. Then he looked at her and grinned. "We're going to meet our baby!"

Well, everyone, most abject and humble apologies for how long this took. Perhaps you will forgive me if I tell you this story is now (mostly) finished. I have the final two chapters written and am in the process of editing. So you won't have to wait nearly as long for the next chapter. Maybe a week between each one. :)