Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

AN: I know it has been forever and a day since I have posted anything. Life kinda got away from me and the next thing I know it has been well over a year. Also I've had a very bad case of writers block, I know, I know that is the excuse every one uses but it is true. Then I lost the desk this was saved on for awhile only to find it again with half the chapter missing. But enough with my ramblings here is the next chapter in my story I hope you like it.

Chapter 7- Beginning of the End

Ebony sat on a couch in the library staring at the dancing flames of the roaring fire. She pulls the blanket closer around her shoulders as she glances out the window and watches the still falling snow. With a soft sigh she looks down at the book in her lap and smiles softly. Gently she runs her fingers over the cover and remembers the night he gave it to her.

Flashback

Ebony was standing at the window looking up at the moon when the beast walked into the library. At the sound of the closing door she turns and smiles.

"Good evening," she says.

"What are you doing?"

"Just enjoying the beautiful night, would you care to join me?" she asks as she holds out her hand to him.

Slowly giving her time to pull away he takes her hand. Ebony pulls him next to her and looks back at the night sky. The beast tries to stay calm as he realizes that she is still holding his hand. He watches as the moonlight shines down on her, casting her in a soft glow. With a sigh he thinks 'She looks like an angel.' As he continues to look at Ebony, he notices that none of the moonlight hits him. 'Forever in darkness, always alone' he shakes his head and steps away from her.

Ebony turns and looks at him with concern in her emerald eyes, "Beast, what is it?"

Shaking his head the beast states, "Nothing, I just . . . um . . . I have something for you, that is if you will accept it."

"Of course I will accept your gift. Although you didn't have to get me anything," she says with a smile that always seems to light the darkest part of his soul.

"I wanted to. Besides you deserve this after all the hard work you have put in," he stated. As the beast said this he slowly walks toward her and hands her a small wrapped package. Shyly he ducks his head and hides his eyes as Ebony opens the gift.

Slowly she unwraps her gift gasping at what she now holds in her hands. "Oh, my. Beast this is beautiful," she states in awe.

'Not nearly as beautiful as you' he thought.

Inside the wrapping was a small leather bound book. The book had gold filigree around the edges and down the spine. When Ebony opened the cover, she saw that the beast had written her an inscription.

The inscription read:

To the one who brought
light into my world
To the one who brought
joy to my soul
To the one who brought
peace to my heart
To the one who saw
hope in emptiness
To the one who saw
past the monster
To the one who saw
beauty in the beast
I give you this little token
so that you will remember me

Ebony looks up at the beast with tears in her eyes, but notices that his head is still turned away from her. Softly she sets down her book and with gentle hands she cups his cheeks and lifts his head. She gives him a soft smile while running her fingers over the fur on his cheek. "Beast it is beautiful. Never in my life have I had such a gift. Thank you, but you did not need to get me something to remember you. For as long as I'm alive I will never forget you."

The beast closes his eyes as he leanes into her touch. Savoring the feel of her skin on his face before he pulls away. Taking a deep breath he turns his back to her and says "Who knows what will happen in the future. Why your love might show up tomorrow and you would leave me without a backward glance."

Slowly Ebony picks up her book and traces the gold filigree. She hugs the book close as she walks over to the beast laying her head on his back, not surprised that he stiffens up. "It's been nine months, somehow I think that he has forgotten about me. Anyway, I'm very happy here. Truth be told I'm the happiest I've ever been, that includes the time I spent with Henry."

He nods and slowly turns around wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. The beast closes his eyes and just holds Ebony committing the feel of her in his arms to memory. He then bends down and whispers into her ear, "When he comes for you, like I know he will, I will not hold you to the bargain. You will be free to leave. The only thing I ask of you is when that time comes don't look back just walk into your life, walk away from this empty place."

Without another word the beast let's go of her and quickly walks out of the library leaving Ebony behind wondering what exactly he had meant.

End Flashback

With a shake of her head Ebony comes back from her memory. She opens her book and looks again at the inscription smiling softly as she traces the letters with her fingertips. 'I can't believe he only gave this to me two weeks ago. So many things have changed in the time that I have been here. Never did I think I would come to love it here and the beast...'

With a sigh Ebony pushes way that last thought. She doesn't want to think about how her feelings for him have changed in the six and a half months that she has been in the castle. Then of course there was Henry. Rubbing her temples Ebony closes her eyes and decides to stop thinking about Henry or the beast. With that she lay's down on the couch closing her eyes and is asleep before she knows it.

Ebony had been asleep for about half an hour when the beast and Eric walk into the library.

Silently the beast walks over and kneels next to Ebony. Gently he brushes a lock of her hair behind her ear. Sighing softly he watches as the fire and the shadows play across her face. Eric has been perched on the back of the couch watching the beast's movements. Sighing to himself Eric asks, "Why don't you just tell her?"

Jerking his head up the beast looks Eric in the eye before quickly looking away, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay, you know what, I'm sick and tired of watching you, day after day, as you hide behind your curse. You love the girl, you know it and I know it so don't deny it. So please tell her already, and don't even think about giving me that spiel about you having nothing to offer her."

Eric takes a deep breath, calming down a little. He looks at the beast and then looks at Ebony, "My friend, she is the one. I've watched you two together and she loves you as much as you love her. You need to open your heart to her before it's to late, there are men moving in the forest." The beast's head comes up as Eric continues, "I don't know if they are coming for her or if they are just passing through but do you really want to take the chance of losing her? Please don't let her slip through your fingers. I don't want to see you in this form forever. I don't want to see you go back to hiding in the shadows. These forms are not our forms. Tell her how you feel, I promise you won't regret it."

The beast gently runs the back of his fingers across Ebony's cheek and sighs softly. After a few more minutes of watching her sleep he stands up and starts to walk out of the library. He stops at the door and looks over his shoulder at Eric, "You're right it is time to end this."

Eric sighs with relief, "Finally you see the light, now I sug...."

The beast shakes his head and interrupts him, "That's not what I meant. Tomorrow we are going to open the gates, and let the men from the forest in so that they can take Ebony back to her beloved Henry. For I understand now that I was never meant to have her."

Eric looked shocked, "But...."

"No, this ends now. Tomorrow she will be on her way back to her happiness. I want you to tell her what's going to happen, but not tonight let her sleep. This is the last time I'm going to be down from my tower. After you see her safely off I want you to leave as well, find your self a nice mate and live your life."

Eric couldn't believe his ears, "No, that's not going to happen. I won't leave you to rot away alone. We were together at the beginning and we will be together at the end, there is nothing you can say to get me to abandon you."

"Eric you should have never been cursed to begin with. Now that there is no hope you should live some kind of normal life, at least as normal as you can in the body that you have."

Shaking his head Eric flies over and lands on the beast's shoulder "This is and was always my choice nothing will ever change that. Together till the end. Just like when we were kids. I do wish that you would tell her how you feel though. It would save me the trouble of playing the martyr."

Laughing slightly the beast says, as they walk out the library door, "Shut up you dumb little bird...and thank you my friend."

As the door closes Ebony wakes slightly but when she sees that nothing is amiss she falls back asleep never knowing what had just transpired around her.

Unbeknown to any who dwelled within the castle walls; sitting in wait on the edge of the woods there is a small camp of armored men waiting for dawn to break so they can attack.

Henry stands staring at the castle, "Do not worry my beloved, my angel, with the dawning of the new day I will have you back in my arms. Once there you shall never leave again. We will have the happily ever after as we always talked about. This I promise you, we will have that beast's hide for a rug in front of the fireplace in our room. Never fear my love soon you shall be free again, and we will be together."

With his promise mad Henry turns on his heals and quickly starts back to the camp. Just before he reaches the camp he trips over a root and does a face plant into a pile of snow. Igor comes running to check on his lord when he sees that the pile of snow happens to be a mix of brown, yellow, and a very little white. Trying not to laugh Igor helps a furious and muttering Henry back to camp.