Chapter Four

Security: nothing in Lina's mind defined that word more effectively than the comfort of her room. Over the next few days, no one in the castle could find her anywhere else. Every so often, under the watchful eye of her parents, she would leave it momentarily to get something to eat, but afterwards she returned there, running as fast as her small feet could carry her, without a word to anyone.

That single fact, however, made it easier for Babette to find her. Staying silent, she watched the girl sitting at her window, gazing out at the lightly falling snow, a blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Quietly, she walked further into the room, stopping only when Lina turned with a frightened gasp.

"It's only me," Babette whispered with a smile, sitting beside her and readily taking her into a protective embrace as Lina climbed into her lap. "Why aren't you in bed?" No reply, but she tried again. "Think you want to go out and play in the snow tomorrow? Alexandre is already asking me if you will."

"No."

Her smile grew. "Well, well, she speaks at last."

Lina looked up at her, not amused. "I'm not going outside or any place! Never ever again!" And with that she jumped from her lap, the blanket dragging like a cloak behind her, and climbed into bed pulling the cover over her.

Babette sighed as she followed and knelt next to where her head would be. "Lina…you can not stay up here forever."

"Who says?" came the muffled reply.

"I do."

Half a head with two eyes peeked out from below the blanket. "I don't care."

"Oh don't you?"

Finally, a whole face appeared as the child sat up. "He will get me if I do."

Babette looked down for a moment to hide any emotion, but her voice barely remained steady as she spoke. "No…no he won't."

Lina was not convinced. "Yes he will. He'll get me and I won't see you anymore."

Ordering her to scoot over a bit, Babette sat beside her, staring straight into her eyes. "He will never come back here again. There are a lot more guards in the castle now; he can't come back if he wanted to."

Lina's eyes shined with tears as she crawled into her mother's lap, seeking comfort and safety. "I don't want him to come back."

"I know, ma petite, I know." Babette swallowed her own tears, trying desperately to be the strong one of the pair. "But he won't. Besides," she paused to offer a reassuring smile, "He will be too afraid to even think of coming after you! He was really scared of what you did at the party, remember?" Much as they wanted to keep it from Lina's curious mind, her newfound defense seemed the only way to calm her at the moment.

Lina wiped her sleeve across her nose with a sniff and a small smile. "Yeah, I scared him a lot!"

"Yes you did!" Babette laughed.

A childishly thoughtful expression crossed Lina's face. "Then I don't have to hide? He has to?"

"That's right," Babette smiled, touching her forehead to hers. "You have nothing to be afraid of."

Lina smiled playfully, holding up her hands and wriggling her fingers. "I'll get him right back if he tries!"

Babette laughed, picking her up and twirling her about. "He'll run away like a big baby!" As soon as they were both properly dizzy in result, she placed her once more into the comfort of her bed. "But for now, to bed!" She tucked her in, leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Bonne nuit, petite; je t'aime."

Lina smiled, yawning tiredly. "Je t'aime, Maman."

Babette watched, as she made certain she was fast asleep before moving to check the windows. Tightly locked, she confirmed with a nod before locking the door adjoining the rooms. Without Lumière or herself in the other, there was no reason for it to be unlocked.

Only when she felt it safe did she move downstairs, but as she did, the door shook as a loud knock resounded throughout the front hall. With no one else around, she warily moved to answer it, but nothing prepared her to find the familiar old face of a woman on the other side.

"Fondest greetings," the visitor cackled before standing up tall, changing into her younger self. "I've come to request an audience with everyone; surely your master will not have any qualms about my visit this time."


A light beneath the door, Jean-Claude noticed, as he stealthily made his way closer to it. Kneeling sheltered between an end table and the doorframe, he listened intently.

"Those men go through all the trouble of getting you out of that disgusting hole, you come so close to beginning your revenge by killing that little love child, and then you come back here with your tail between your legs, saying you won't go back?!"

No question of identity there; Adele's shrill voice could break glass when she argued.

"Will you let me finish?" Jean-Claude scowled in disgust at hearing his master's voice once again. "Christ, Adele, you are going to kill yourself jumping to conclusions one day."

"I just can not believe that you are frightened of a little girl!"

"I did not say that!" Jacques shouted angrily. "The time was not right."

"The time was perfect! You could have done away with her then and there!"

Inside the room, unknown to Jean-Claude, Jacques raised his hand, scorched thoroughly from the tips of his fingers to the base of his wrist. "Do you see this? First the father, and then the daughter, although I have yet to figure out how the latter did what she did. This was only my hand; did you want her to finish off the rest of me?"

"She is only a child!"

"A child who is more self-sufficient than I thought. It was not as simple as grabbing her by the collar and slitting her pathetic little throat!"

"So what do we do? Eventually they will realize that you are here, and come after you. You should have just killed them all that night."

"Do you think I don't know that?! Do you think me so completely stupid to not realize that Vincent and his lot of moronic hired hands will hunt me down? Believe me, that bit of knowledge is the only thing keeping me from revenge! I am outnumbered; they have the upper hand! At this rate, it can take years before I can try again!"

There was a pause then; Adele must have silently admitted to defeat. Listening outside the door, Jean-Claude stood quietly, ready to retreat to his room for the night; this was enough to comfort Babette at present. But as he began treading slowly towards the servants' quarters, another man, the one who had constantly visited Adele before Jacques' escape, stopped him.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Jean-Claude tried not to panic. He was not a coward, but at present, nothing was in his favor. "Nothing, monsieur…sleep walking you might say."

"I might just say it," Arnaud nodded. "That is, if I were to believe it."

One snap of his fingers brought two of his men to struggle Jean-Claude into a helpless hold. The man fought with all his might, but they were certainly much stronger than he. Within a few seconds, he ceased his efforts in exhaustion, allowing them to follow Arnaud into the room.

"Found this lout skulking about the hallway," Arnaud explained as the men brought Jean-Claude forward. "He was rather interested in your conversation."

Jacques walked closer, slowly placing a glove over his scarred hand before using it to lift Jean-Claude's face by the chin. "Really? I trust what you heard was to your satisfaction then?" The servant did not respond, and Jacques laughed amused. "A wise choice, mon ami, to stay silent; you have already dug your grave deep enough with eavesdropping."

Jean-Claude had never been disobedient in his life, but rank meant nothing now. He did not see an aristocrat, a man his own family had served for generations; all he saw was the very face of evil.

"I wish you a lifetime in hell for all you have done," he growled. "Especially to her…"

Jacques only laughed harder. "I remember you now. You were Babette's friend when she served here, looked after her like a overbearing watch dog." He smirked. "Rather pointless, I think, as you never could 'protect' her, could you?"

Jean-Claude snarled angrily, "I could not…not after you had me beaten for trying while you ravaged her any chance you got!"

Jacques ignored him. "And now, from what I can conclude, you attempt to redeem yourself for those times? Informing her of every move we make?" Again, Jean-Claude was silent, and Jacques' vicious grin grew in satisfaction. "Your silence is golden, you fool. You have just pleaded guilty to treason, and in my book, the penalty…is immediate death. Do you have anything to say to that?"

Jean-Claude swallowed hard. "What point is there in asking such a question? You would not care if I did."

Jacques nodded. "Quite true." He turned to Arnaud and his men. "Take this disloyal spy outside…and kill him."

The three men did as they were told, but Jean-Claude refused to go down without one last fight. Once they were in the hallway, he thrashed and fought against his captors, determined to cause the most intolerable commotion. The noise brought everyone there, including Etienne. Small as he was, the boy ran to his father's aid, attempting to beat the larger men to free him, but it was useless. Jacques easily tore him away by the scruff of his nightshirt, dragging him right along outside, leaving Adele to order everyone back to bed.

Etienne kicked and screamed as much as he could. "Let him go! Let him go!"

Jacques gripped his throat forcing the boy to watch the scene before him. "Let this be a lesson to you, whelp, of what treason will bring you," he growled. "I suggest you learn it quickly, and not make the same mistakes your father did. Now…say goodbye."

A few moments later, a pistol shot was heard in the darkness, the last sound Etienne would hear regarding his father.


"We are most honored to see you again, my lady," Vincent offered as he, Belle, and the staff had gathered in the den at the enchantress' unexpected visit. "But why have you come?"

The mysterious woman spoke, her voice echoing gently. "My power, your highness, has always had one purpose: to aid the good of humanity and shield those in need from the horrors of the world. I saved you once, from one of the most dangerous evils, that in your own heart, and I return to offer my protection again."

The prince nodded. "Do continue."

"Your household is in danger," she said. "I sense in the future that the last de Crochet son will attempt to take his revenge again."

"But when?" Lumière questioned across the room.

The enchantress turned to him. "That I can not say." She paused for a moment, suddenly meditating, and cringed as though in pain. "He has already begun tonight. I hear the cries of a boy…the sound of a pistol..." She closed her eyes, concentrating her focus deeply on what she felt. When she opened them again, everyone saw despair and sadness. "He has discovered a traitor in his midst, an innocent man, a friend who has helped you. As punishment…the man has been executed."

"Jean-Claude," Babette gasped in realization, and Lumière held her close as she cried. "No…he couldn't…"

A moment of silence hung in the air as everyone respectively acknowledged the loss. After such a time, Vincent looked to the enchantress once again. "What can you do to stop him?"

"Alas I can not," she answered. "All of you should understand. A man's will is his own; only he can make the choice to change his ways. I am bound by this knowledge, and hence cannot stop him and his actions. All I can offer is a spell to protect you when the time comes."

"Pray, my lady, go on."

The enchantress looked to each one of them as she spoke. "Years ago, all of you looked nothing like you do now. I cast a spell that turned the young prince into a monster, and the rest into meager household objects. That spell may be the only thing that can save you now."

All of them protested, Cogsworth being the first to speak. "You are saying that we have to go through that terrible mess all over again until he decides to attack?"

"Let me finish," she said with a smile. "No, I will not cast the spell again, but I can grant you the abilities to use it for your own good. When you need to, any of you can become what you were, and then become human again a moment later. No one will suspect a clock or candelabra to actually be a person, giving you time to blend in until you can strike back."

"But what of Belle and the children?" Vincent asked. "The spell did not affect them."

"I will come for them when the day arrives," the enchantress reassured him. "They will be safe, I give you my word." She turned once more to the entire assembly. "I leave the decision in your hands; what shall it be?"

Everyone glanced at one another, uncertainty obvious in their eyes, but what other choice was there? As each nodded their affirmative to Vincent, he turned to her once more.

"Do what you must, my lady; we are ready."