Welcome back!

ImagineATale, you did miss a time skip a few chapters back and you have understood Beast perfectly.

ImaginationStories, I understand, they always seemed so chipper making the best of things. I blame that for forgetting.

Ifit'sNotBaroque, I'm glad I wrote it like that, it is an important step in my opinion.

Mustard Lady, Gaston might have changed, but he still can be rather dense. He's the type that needs proof before he can believe something.

Yinlai, Very tough love indeed.

Banzi, hope you like it!

It is a bit shorter again, because I will be away again for a few days, just wanted to get this out before that.

Chapter 20

After returning to the West Wing, Belle lay down on her bed crying. She saw the empty bed across from hers and knew it might be empty for quite some time. She recalled the conversation with Beast the day before.

"You'll like the rest even less...," Beast said. "He believes he is solely to blame for it all, we have to show him he is not.""What do you mean?""We have to get him to acknowledge he's not the only one to blame." Beast sighed, "I'll lock him up in the tower, give him some of the punishment that he seems to desire so much. After I leave him there, you have to talk to him. He needs to think that we both believe he deserves being locked up there for his part." Beast sighed, "After that you must lock me up with him, he thinks he should be there, then I should be there to join him. We both had a part in it and both of us should be paying for it." Beast told her."I can't..."Beast sighed, "If you truly can't do it, I'll do it myself. But it has to be done."Belle looked down, "I-I can't do it, it isn't right!"

Belle shuddered at the memory, she had hoped it wouldn't come this far, but it had and now Beast was locked up with Gaston.

After he had locked himself in, Beast sat across from Gaston. It was as if the man hadn't even noticed he had company. "Gaston?" The man raised his head at hearing his name and Beast grimaced at the sunken eyes.

"Go away."

"That may be difficult, seeing as I'm locked in with you." He saw Gaston's head snap up, finally a reaction.

"What?"

Beast sighed, "I decided that since you think you are deserving of punishment, I should be as well."

"You can't do that!"

Seeing some fire return in Gaston's eyes made Beast want to push for more, "I most certainly can. It is my castle, therefore I am allowed to do whatever pleases me." Not that being here pleases me one bit, Beast thought, he'd rather have been anywhere but here. "We both had our hand in the servants' fate, we will both pay for it exactly the same way."

Gaston remained silent, he had no desire to talk to Beast.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about..." he saw Gaston opening his mouth, "that is not about me leaving." And it closed again.

Giving up for today, Beast lay down on the floor, Gaston had the thin blanket that was in there. Laying down on the cold stone he was grateful for his warm fur, it would keep most of the cold at bay. He looked over to Gaston and saw him shivering in his sleep. Getting back up he covered Gaston with the blanket and lay down beside him to let his fur provide him with extra warmth.

The next morning, Gaston was the first to wake up. It didn't take him long to remember where he was, he couldn't believe Beast had actually locked himself in, the fool. Sitting up he felt his foot bump into something and he changed position to feel what it was. The fur told him all he needed to know and he decided to give a good kick.

Being woken so abruptly, it caused Beast to growl. Stretching his sore muscles he glared at Gaston. "What did you do that for!"

Gaston just shrugged.

Giving another low growl Beast moved back to the other side of the cell and lay down to rest a little more. That man can be impossible at times, he thought.

Belle was carrying a tray with two plates on it up the tower, hopefully Gaston would eat something. She reached the top and saw Gaston and Beast sitting on opposite sides of their cell, Beast glaring at Gaston. Beast took in her appearance when he saw her coming and walked to the door. "Belle!" Now that she was closer he took a good look at her. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you look terrible. Did you get any sleep?"

She shook her head, "No, I kept looking at your bed, please come back." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"You know I can't, not until he snaps out of it." Beast said pointing at Gaston.

"No need to stay here on my behalf Beast, you may go whenever you like." Gaston helpfully added.

Belle looked at Beast with teary eyes, "Please?"

He held out his paw for Belle to take, "No Belle, not as long as he feels he should be punished."

Belle sighed and placed the tray on the floor sliding it through the intended opening. "Please get him to eat something," she pleaded before leaving.

"I'll try," Beast said. He took the plates of the tray and brought one to Gaston who was sitting next to the barred opening, "Here is lunch, now eat something."

Gaston picked up the bread that Belle had brought and threw it out through the bars. "No, I will not."

"Yes you will, I'm going to give you some of mine and you will eat or I'm not eating either. Remember I'll punish myself the same way you do. You starve, I starve."

"You wouldn't!" Gaston exclaimed.

"I can and I will, what will it be?" Beast pushed, seeing Gaston's hesitation.

Slowly Gaston held out his hand to accept the loaf of bread Beast was offering, feeling it in his hand, he took it.

Feeling relief at finally seeing Gaston eat a decent amount he smiled, he had made a start. Although he couldn't wait until dinner, he would see Belle again and could tell her the good news. He felt his stomach rumble, why had he given the stubborn man his entire meal?

Gaston had just finished his meal, "Satisfied?"

"Very, that wasn't so hard was it?"

"This is pointless, what do you hope to achieve with this?"

"For you to stop loathing yourself, to start working on forgiving yourself."

Gaston crossed his arms and huffed, "You can wait a long time for that to happen. What is it you think about every time you pass one of them?" He leaned forward closer to Beast, "Do you think about how you caused them to be cursed? I bet you do, maybe you should be here, isn't this what people like us deserve?" Getting no reply Gaston continued, "You know I'm right, don't you? You're just too much of a coward to admit it. You can go on and on about me forgiving myself, but the truth is, you haven't forgiven yourself either!"

Beast hung his head, "Perhaps not, but I've learned to live with it and honor them as much as I can."

"You can keep trying to convince yourself of that, but I know better."

Days had passed and Beast was truly starting to feel miserable, the only good thing being Belle's visits at mealtimes. Gaston might be eating again, but that was all he did. Trying to strike a normal conversation with him, had no results so far. After their first conversation he had thought a lot about what Gaston had said, he had to admit that he had been right. Agathe had also told him to start forgiving himself months ago, but he still hadn't done that. One look at the servants quickly dissolved any attempts to work on it.

"Gaston, you have to stop this, it's been nearly two weeks now. Staying here will change nothing," Beast was getting frustrated, he didn't even receive acknowledgement that he had spoken. "Snap out of it, at least say something!" Giving up Beast leaned against the wall, snapping back to attention when he heard a voice.

"What would you like me to say? That you're an idiot for staying here? I'm sure Belle will let you out if you ask her, you don't have to be here." Gaston sneered.

Giving a slight growl Beast replied, "I told you I am not leaving before you stop this ridiculous behaviour. You don't deserve to be punished for this, you had no way of knowing what would happen."

Gaston huffed, "If it makes you any feel better, pretend I'm here for trying to kill you. Would that help?"

"Do you still want to kill me?" Beast countered.

"Of course not! Have you gone completely mad?"

"Than no punishment is needed, since you've already learned from that mistake." Beast declared.

"You don't give up do you? What will make you leave me alone?" Gaston wanted to know. "I'm staying here for what I've done, you should rejoice that I'm in here. I've done enough against you!"

"You have," Beast agreed, "but you have changed a lot since then. You're not the same man anymore."

"It doesn't change the fact that your servants are dead or sleeping or whatever Agathe wants to call it, they're not coming back and that is because of me! There is only one person to blame for that and you're looking at him!" Gaston shouted.

"Who caused them to be cursed in the first place? Blame yourself all you want, but that is one fact you'll never be able to refute."

"Fine, have it your way. But you would have lifted the curse if not for my actions, try refuting that!"

"It is high time you stopped being so stubborn. Stop blaming yourself and start forgiving yourself!"

Gaston snorted, "Give me one reason why should I forgive myself? You can't even forgive yourself!"

"Because I have!" Beast roared.