Belle stepped inside of her home to find Lumiere, Cogsworth, Ms. Potts, and Chip all talking with her father, still in bed. She gasped and dropped her basket filled with rolls. Lumiere turned and smiled, hopping over. "Belle! You've returned!"
"Lumiere? Cogsworth?" she exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?'
"We had to come back, dear," Ms. Potts exclaimed. "You see…"
"You left something at the castle," Cogsworth exploded. "Something very important…your…your cloak!" Lumiere and Ms. Potts glared at his substitute. Belle sighed and took a seat next to her father's side.
"I don't care," she said. "There is no way I'm going back to the castle." Chip hopped into her lap and looked up with teary eyes.
"You don't like us?" he whimpered. Belle smiled and took him in her hand.
"Of course I do, I just…I belong here with my father."
"Are you sure about that, my dear?" Lumiere said, leaping across the bed. Her father coughed, leaning forward.
"They've been telling me about the beast, Belle," Maurice said. Belle looked to her father, wondering what he was talking about. "He needs you dearly." She scowled and stood up, not able to contain her confusion.
"He threw me out! He told me to leave him be!"
"You ran away!" Cogsworth rebutted. "He never really asked you to go!"
"He hasn't a friend in the world," Ms. Potts sympathetically said. "You were the only light in his life."
"He just put it out," Belle said, not wanting to compromise. "No one could ever love such a beast, why would he want a friend." At once, each of their faces fell. Lumiere's candles dimmed, nearly out. Chip even began to cry, weeping into Maurice's pillow.
"There's no hope then," Lumiere said. "We are like this forever." There was a deep pause in which Belle slowly turned to face them.
"Is he all right?" she asked softly, walking closer. "I…I left in him the cold…"
"He's fighting a chill and death, dear," Ms. Potts sadly replied. "We dishes can only do so much."
"Go back, Belle," Maurice pleaded. "I know he's a monster, but were once his loyal servants. They know him, and I trust their word. He won't hurt you." Belle looked in shock to her father. These magical creatures had bewildered her father into thinking anything about that beast was harmless. Chip looked up at her with such hopeless eyes, though; Belle's heart began to turn more.
"I'll go back, but only to nurse him back to health." A sigh of relief passed through the different items. Lumiere gave a shout of exclamation and threw his candlesticks about Cogsworth.
"Hey, hey hey! Stop that!" the little clock scolded. Belle laughed, getting her cloak once more.
"I'll leave at once," she said, pulling the coat about her. "But as soon as…as he's back to himself, I'm coming back, Papa." Maurice scrambled to his feet, opening the door.
"I'll be fine without you—look, I'm already walking. I'm going to get right back to work on the wood chopper. I'll make it to the convention yet!"
"Oh, Papa…" Belle sighed, shaking her head. "Let's go, Lumiere, you lead the way."