It's been a while, but I hope next chapter will be posted sooner.

QueenSkywalkerKenobi, couldn't have said it better.

Christianqueenofegypt, Gaston will have quite the dining experience. Nightmare for him, fun for me to write.

Ladyofthelake1986, thank you for the compliment. I write them all how my children asked me too.

Mustard Lady, can't resist a good plot twist when I think of one. Keeps things interesting wouldn't you say,

Guest, he will at some point.

Banzi, Gaston does keep getting in trouble, doesn't he.

ImagineATale, you have no idea how much fun it was to write it.

Ann, fireworks on the way.

PumpkinHallow4814, thanks for the big compliment. I will pass it along to the kids who have inspired the story and whose ideas made the story possible.

Chapter 34

"What are you doing here! Go bother other people, or did your friends finally regain their senses and dump you." The headmaster sneered.

Desperately trying to hold in his temper that was flaring, Gaston decided it would be wiser to keep his mouth shut for now. Knowing he was related to the woman he was courting made his choice a lot easier though, now he would have to try to get on the man's good side.

"Pierre! Where are your manners!" Amelie shouted. "He is our guest, he has asked Eliana for permission to court her and she obliged."

He turned to Eliana. "Courting? Have you lost your mind? This man has nothing to offer you, I had the displeasure to teach him as a child. Even then I knew he would leech of everyone around him. You will end this right now and that is final."

Eliana started to cry, "No I will not. How can you say that?"

Pierre turned to his sister, "Do you approve of this? That man is nothing but trouble."

Eloise was laughing, "I tried telling them, but they refuse to listen to me."

Pierre looked approvingly at his niece, "You always were the smart one. Your sister should listen to you."

"Stop insulting Eliana."

All the heads turned to Gaston who had kept quiet throughout the entire tirade.

"I don't care if you insult me, but she is your niece, you should be supportive of her decisions. Go ahead and say whatever you want to say to me." Gaston looked up to the headmaster with a challenging look.

Before he could open his mouth however Amelie interrupted, "No you will leave him alone. You will either sit down and eat quietly or you can go."

Grumbling Pierre took his seat and glared at the man opposite of him.

Gaston first felt around the plate and located his glass on the left side of his plate and moved it to the top right side as he was used to.

"Was the setting not to your liking? Some gratitude would be welcomed." Pierre sneered.

Choosing to ignore him for now Gaston proceeded to pick up his utensils and felt along the plate. Feeling the plate was pretty much arranged as usual, he just turned his plate to have the meat on the right side of the plate.

"Picky about everything I see." After receiving a glare from his sister, Pierre quickly closed his mouth again.

"I always have my plate and table set a certain way to prevent making a mess. Or would you prefer me spilling everything and knocking everything over?" Gaston rebuffed.

Pierre just kept glaring and dinner was quiet but tense. First he had to put up with the fool causing a ruckus outside his classroom and now he even disrupted his personal life.

As soon as dinner was finished Pierre wasted no time in getting up. "I would say it has been a pleasure, but next time warn me, so I know to make other arrangements." He walked out without further word.

Wanting to speak to Gaston in private she sent the girls away to take care of the dishes.

"I-I'm so sorry about that." Amelia apologized.

Gaston held up his hand, "No need to apologize, I think it went rather well all things considering. This morning was much worse, although it didn't help I was sitting in the fountain at the time.

Amelia was puzzled, "Why would you sit in there?"

"A little girl wanted to read to me and thinking nothing of it I let her lead me to the bench next to it. Of course she forgot to mention the steps and I tripped, the last tug she gave me was enough to send me flying in there." He had to laugh about it now, how ridiculous he must have looked. "I paid her back though, when she started to apologize I started splashing her with water and all the children started to join in. The headmaster did not take kindly to all the noise, apparently it disrupted his class."

"I'll be the first to admit he lacks a sense of humor. Hope he wasn't too harsh."

Gaston sighed, "Sadly he was, he insulted all my friends and Adam did not take kindly to having Belle insulted. He is going to have him removed from his position. Though your brother thinks he was bluffing, I can assure you he was not." Hearing Amelia gasp, he sighed. The poor woman must be scared for her brother now. While he didn't care for the headmaster, this woman had been kind to him. Wanting to reassure her, he continued. "I'll talk to him, try to change his mind."

"You will?"

"Yes, of course. I am afraid I have to go though."

Madame Amelia nodded, "I'll get Eliana to take you back." She moved to the kitchen where the girls were almost finished washing the dishes.

"Eliana, will you bring monsieur Gaston back to the tavern?"

"Why doesn't she have to finish her chores? Just like uncle said, leeching off of other people." Eloise sneered.

"That is enough!" Her mother admonished.

Eliana quickly left to help Gaston. "I am so sorry about how it turned out." She apologized.

"No need for that, it might have been a bit awkward, but he'll just have to get used to it."

"Thank you for being so understanding."

Gaston was thinking. "Tomorrow afternoon, will you visit me at the tavern? There is something important I wish to tell you."

"Of course, I can be there at one, would that be alright with you?"

"Perfect." He kissed her hand. "I'll see you then." He quickly went inside, Eliana giving him a curious look as he went inside the tavern.

Inside he was met by LeFou.

"How was dinner?" LeFou laughed.

Gaston looked surprised. "How did you know…"

LeFou burst out laughing "The headmaster was here just a moment ago, claiming he needed a drink after seeing you at his sister's dinner table."

He couldn't help but groan. "He isn't the only one in need of a drink, you do know what it means right?"

"Not really. What does it mean?"

"That I'm going to have to try to get along with headmaster Pierre from now on." His face got a nasty look just thinking about the prospect of having to tolerate the man's remarks from now on.

LeFou paled. "I don't envy you there."

"I believe it is time for a few drinks of my own after sitting through that."

The next morning Gaston woke up to banging on his door. "What!" Yesterdays dinner left him in a bad mood and the resulting drinks had given him quite the hangover.

"It's Adam, could I come in?"

Gaston groaned, what did he want? He crawled out of his bed and made his way to the door and unlocked it. "What?"

Adam looked at Gaston, who looked rather irritable. "What happened to you?"

"You knocking at my door happened, now tell me what your doing here so I can get back to bed."

Ignoring Gaston Adam just walked in and took a seat. "I was wondering how much longer you were planning to stay here? I know you want to reunite as many people as possible, but you have most people on your side, isn't it time to end this?"

Gaston sighed, how he wished it was that easy. If only things hadn't just become more complicated the previous evening. Which led to his hangover, which was making itself even more present every passing second. "About that, I would love nothing more than to make your servants happy. But yesterday I was invited for dinner by Eliana and things got…complicated."

Adam raised his eyebrow. "Complicated? If she has someone I'm sure she'll remember."

Gaston cleared his throat. "Let's change the subject, I would like to ask you to reconsider removing the headmaster from his position."

Adam looked at Gaston like he had grown an extra head, "Have you lost your mind? Next you say you want to be on friendly terms with the man."

Clearing his throat and scratching behind his ear he thought of a suitable reply, "Actually…It doesn't hurt to…try, I suppose." He tried to smile as he struggled to get the words out. "There has to be some…redeeming…quality somewhere?"

Bewildered would be the best word to describe Adam's condition, "Are asking or saying that? What is the matter with you?"

"It started when I was invited for dinner yesterday, it was great until…" He took a deep breath, "apparently Eliana is his niece. I can't let her uncle lose his position.

Adam shook his head, "I will not have him insulting Belle, I gave him a chance to apologize and he refused."

"I'm not asking for his sake, I don't want to be the one who has caused her uncle to lose his job. One awkward meal has been enough." Muttering the last part.

Adam looked pensive, "I might be swayed if he apologizes to Belle." Adam then started to laugh, "So…how was dinner?"

Gaston just groaned in reply.

Gaston was nervous as he was waiting for Eliana to appear, he was going to tell her the truth. He had invited Belle and Adam so no gossip could start of him and Eliana alone in his room.

"Good day, now what was it you wanted us here for?" Belle asked.

"I want to tell Eliana the truth, but it would be inappropriate for me to take her up to my room alone. Taking the you know what down here is no option either, so I need you two to chaperone while I tell her."

Adam looked pensive. "Do you think she is ready to know? You two barely know each other, unlike your friend LeFou."

"I am not going to court her based on lies, surely you can understand that." Gaston reasoned.

Before anyone could answer however she had already arrived and walked towards them.

"Bonjour! I didn't expect to see you two, is something wrong?" Eliana greeted.

Belle gave a warm smile. "How lovely to see you again, Gaston wanted to show you something in his room and wanted us to chaperone."

Gaston was nervous, how would she handle the truth? "Shall we just go upstairs, I really want to get it over with."

They all nodded and followed him. Opening the door to his room he stood aside to let the group in. When he stepped in he closed the door and stood there nervously.

"Eliana, I want to be honest about something." He wanted to continue but he struggled to find the right words. "When I was gone all those months a lot has happened, as you know. But the thing is, I'm not…" Why was this so hard? Just say it! "Perhaps it would be better if I just showed you some proof first. Would you open the closet door for me and tell me what you see?"

Looking suspicious she did what he asked, but when she opened the door she couldn't help but gasp. There was the most beautiful rose she had ever seen, but…it was floating in the air. How? That was not possible!

"How? There is a floating rose in there! What is this?" She had more questions than she could even think of, what was going on?

"I was cursed to be blind, because of my past behavior by an enchantress. I broke the curse, but as it turned out it was connected to a different curse she placed a decade ago. When I broke the curse it was supposed to break to other curse along with mine, but not all of it did." He sighed, "As it turns out many people in the village have family members that have been forgotten, I took back the curse and everyone that treats me decently will regain those memories when I break it again. That rose is the timekeeper, I have until the last petal falls before the blindness becomes permanent. But I'm not going to wait that long, I was thinking maybe a few more weeks before I do."

"I…I need to sit down…" Was all she said. Had he gone mad? But there was a floating flower in there, floating! Flowers don't do that. "So you can see? You lied?"

Belle stepped forward to help Gaston. "No, he didn't lie. He really can't see anything, well, except for the rose. He gets his sight back when he breaks the curse and he knows how to do that."

"He just waits until he has as many people on his side as possible, which has become more complicated. Your sister and uncle for example, if there is someone taken from their memory, they won't remember because they haven't exactly been…"

"Kind…" Eliana now started to understand his plight. "You don't want to disappoint me, by failing them."

Gaston nodded. "I'm not giving up yet, I don't care if I have to stay blind. But I want to give everyone their loved ones back in the castle."

"Castle?" Her eyes widened, did he just say castle?

"Yes, the castle I live in. It is also forgotten, like myself." Adam added.

Eliana's eyes widened, a castle? This was getting weirder by the second.

Gaston sighed, this was not going as he had hoped. "If it gets too much for you, all you have to do is say it. I just want you to know that I will see again in a few weeks at most. Besides, wouldn't you want me to truly see you?"

Eliana nodded that would be nice, but would he still like her then? It was his lack in sight that brought him to her in the first place. She started to wrap her head around it. He was cursed, he broke it, let himself get cursed again. To help people regain their memories, had she forgotten about someone?

"Do I have anyone at that castle waiting?"

"We don't know," Adam said, "it was my fault we were all forgotten in the first place. I was truly a terrible person back then and I am sad to say I never bothered to get to know my servants. There were just a few we did figure out."

"But you, Elise and your mother would be sure to remember." Gaston tried to reassure her. "I am worried for your uncle and Eloise though, I was thinking of taking you and your sisters out tomorrow. Try to get your sister to change her mind at least, she might be easier to convince than your uncle. Though I am not giving up on him just yet, for you I am going to try."

"Uncle?" Belle asked.

Gaston had a sour look just thinking about it, while Adam had to laugh.

"You tell her or should I?" Adam asked.

"Yesterday I was invited for dinner by her mother, lovely lady if I may say so. Her brother also joined us, it was a mutual shock for both of us. Apparently Eliana is the niece of the headmaster…"

Belle blinked. "You had dinner…with the headmaster…" Slowly she started to snicker.

"Laugh all you want." Gaston said.

Eliana had to laugh herself. "I had never seen my uncle look so pale. You should have seen it."

"I wish I had been there." Adam laughed, before turning serious. "Eliana, do you understand all that we have told you?"

"I think so…" She hesitantly started. "Gaston will see again in a few weeks and people will start to remember things if they have been nice to him." She looked at the rose and touched the bell jar that covered it. "I'm just having trouble believing it is real." Then she looked down.

"What is bothering you Eliana?" Belle asked.

She shook her head. "It is stupid."

Gaston joined her and grabbed her hand when he found it. "Don't be afraid, just say what is wrong."

"What if when you see again, you stop caring about me again?"

"No, I wouldn't stop loving you." Gaston was quick to reassure. "You know, I do know where to find the enchantress that did this, so do they. If I ever do something stupid like that, just have them send her after me again. And if you prefer me the way I am now, I don't mind if I were to lose my sight permanently. All you have to do is ask and I will go to her and have her take it away again. You matter more to me."

Eliana cried as he spoke to her, would he really go that far for her? "I could never ask that of you, you should have your sight back."

Gaston just shook his head and smiled. "When I broke the curse the first time, you know what I felt? Disappointment. I couldn't find my way around anymore, it felt like something important had been taken away. Don't ever hesitate to tell me if this is how you prefer me to be."

She leaned into him and kissed him on his cheek. "Thank you for telling me. I think I want to go home and think it all over."

"Of course, but remember to keep it a secret from your family."

The group returned downstairs, Eliana left for home and the others stayed for a few drinks. Gaston hoped Eliana could accept all she had just been told.