Chapter Four

4.1

Belle frowned as she saw Adam starting to spiral in his thoughts. She placed a hand on his upper arm and he looked at her with widened eyes, he was still shaking a little. "We don't know if he's doing anything," she tried to tell him and Adam blinked. "I mean, did you see him have powers?"

"He knew about -" Adam began but Belle raised an eyebrow and he sighed. "No. He did not physically use any powers of sorcery in front of me but the way that he spoke, that he mentioned my bite," he attempted to emphasize and Belle hummed. "It was like he was confessing."

"Or maybe just a turn of phrase," Belle asked and Adam stared at her asking her how she could be kidding about this. "I know that he just came back from the dead but I don't think that we should just assume he's behind all of this."

Adam stared at her. He opened his mouth to argue with her but he knew he didn't want to. He loved her and whilst they had had heated discussions before, this was her home, this was the place in which she had grown up, it was special to her. He sighed. He knew that he was stubborn and selfish at times and Belle was equally as stubborn as he was. He nodded. "I'm not backing down on suspecting him," he said and Belle smiled.

"I suspect that he has something to do with it as well but until there are more clues, we can't just decide that he's the one causing all of this, but…because you're worried," Belle hummed before reaching out her hand to push his hair back. "No horns," she said before taking his hand, "No claws," she kissed his cheek before placing a hand softly on his rear, "No tail," she whispered into his ear.

Adam reached for her hand and kept it against his skin for a moment longer before smiling. "I hate that I have to leave the two of you were this to continue to happen," he told her and Belle crossed her arms over her chest and offered a defiant look.

"Oh, really?" she asked. "I don't think you'll be leaving anyone. I fully intend to remain by your side no matter what happens. You'll have to lock me away in the dungeon if you truly don't want me to become your shadow."

Adam's jaw dropped at that, he coughed slightly. "I would ne—never do that," he said in shock and Belle kissed his lips and moved back.

"Then you'll never not have me at your side, supporting you, wanting you, loving you," she promised him. "Now, I'd like to tell my father our good news." She reached out for his hand and led him into the living room. She gestured for him to sit but just as always, Adam walked over to Maurice and gave a slight bow before offering his hand out.

"Good morning," he said still somewhat self-conscious about their first encounter. "Please, stay seated, thank you for opening your home to me," he smiled and Belle kissed his cheek again before gesturing for him to sit down. She poured Adam some water and saw his hand shaking a little.

"Are you… all right?" Maurice asked his son-in-law and Adam coughed weakly. "I mean…"

"Just some unexpected things happening," Adam replied and saw the way Maurice was studying him as if he were become the beast that he feared he still was and would always remain. "None of the situations as hairy as that," he tried to say in a light manner. He looked down guiltily before turning to look around the house. "Anything that I can do or work on whilst I'm here?" he offered as he always had. To be perfectly honest, Adam loved helping the people close to him and especially since Belle adored her father so much, Adam wanted to be of as much use as possible.

"Gaston is alive and here in town," Belle explained and Maurice stared at them.

"Didn't he die that night that -" Maurice began and Adam laughed weakly.

"The night I was exposed and people wanted to kill me and then do some kind of taxidermy with my head," he said and Maurice frowned.

"I was going to say the night that the two of you shared your loving emotions."

Adam laughed weakly. He put a hand to his forehead and nodded. "I didn't see him die but…that was because I was too busy being stabbed. I mean, if I had fallen from that height then I would have died too and considering how my body was, I would have been able to survive more than a regular man could."

"With how that night was…I'm not greatly shocked that he's alive…I mean…Adam died as well," Belle said and Adam nodded. It was only because of the way that he loved Belle and she loved him in return that had given him his second chance at a life and a human life to be more exact. "Still, he hasn't appeared since now and -"

"And there's a lot of mixed emotions," Adam replied. He took a deep breath, "However, that isn't why Belle wanted to come here and speak with you," he said and Maurice turned to his daughter. Belle grabbed Adam's hand and he squeezed hers in return.

"Papa, we're going to have a baby," she said excitedly and Adam grinned. No matter how many times he was told that, he would always feel this hope and excitement and pride at being a father-to-be. Maurice's smile filled his whole face and he hugged Belle before pulling Adam up and hugging him as well. The prince blinked in surprise not used to the paternal affection. "The doctor told us and we wanted to share it with you."

"Before it became national news, of course," Maurice laughed excitedly. "There's so much to do. So many things that you'll need. So many things that you'll need to know."

"And of course, the castle and royal staff can provide everything that we might need," Adam said before Maurice nodded. It wasn't as if his daughter had just married someone who worked in the town, she had married a prince and with it all the luxuries of marrying royalty.

"We may not tell anyone else…considering…" Adam said and Belle blinked before nodding. Was he going to tell her Papa about this? She would have to remain strong and supportive no matter how this played out. She hoped her father would remain accepting of him but Adam was always going to be her choice. "If something happens to me then I want for you to take care of them in my place."

"And…" Maurice inquired, "can I know what you think is happening to you?"

"I might be returning to how I once was," Adam said as he looked at his hand. He turned it in the natural sunlight, no paw just yet. Belle wrapped her arms around him and let her forehead rest on his chest. She turned around to see that there was horror in her father's eyes.

"Of-of course," he said as he stared at Adam's hand and then at the prince as if he had already transformed into his old monster form.

4.2

Belle smiled as she put away the last dish from the early dinner she had made them and came to look out the window. Adam was reconstructing one of the gates for the sheep in the distance and she could see how hard he was trying to work to do this by hand. He wanted to help. That was all this was but she felt a bad energy in the house.

"Do you think he'll eat them? I know that it wouldn't really be his fault, all part of the natural instinct but do you think that he would eat them?" Maurice asked and Belle frowned.

"Papa, we also eat sheep," Belle tried to remind him. "We just ate some now. I'm sure that -"

"I mean when he goes into that beast form," Maurice corrected himself and Belle looked down painfully. Was that what her father thought of him? Belle took a deep breath as she thought about the first meal which they had eaten together and how he had struggled to eat in a composed manner. He had tried but certain options weren't available to him. They had compromised. It wasn't as if Adam was going to suddenly tear the head off of a sheep and eat it.

"Papa, I'm going to go down to the stores," Belle told him before grabbing her cloak. "Please be nice to him," she said as she pulled her father into a hug. "He's trying his best to be nice to you. I love you, Papa," she told him and Maurice smiled softly and nodded. Adam really didn't mean any harm but would his thoughts change along with his behavior if he did transform back into the beast.

Belle left the small house and went over to where Adam was. She could see the hard work and the hand construction he had already done. She placed her hand on his upper back as she stood beside him. "It looks good," she commented as she gestured to the gate. "I'm going to go out for just a little bit. Is that okay?"

"Did you want me to come with you?" Adam asked immediately and Belle shook her head. She kissed him again, leaning down to where he was kneeling. "All right, enjoy yourself," he told her as he squeezed her hand again. "No horns yet?"

"No horns," Belle said as she kissed the top of his head and took a deep breath in. She hated how nervous he was about this. They didn't even have a guarantee that anything was going to happen. She looked at him sharing the mutual love that had been powerful enough to break the curse. Adam grinned back to her and then nodded.

"Enjoy yourself," he said as he saw her walking away. It didn't matter how many times she walked away from him, he trusted that she would always return. That one night, that last night of his curse she had come back to him and if she had come back then then as long as she knew how much he cared for her, adored her, loved her, she would always have a place to keep returning to.

4.3

Belle took a deep breath in as she looked at the tavern that Gaston called his home. He was always full of a sense of high self-regard to the point of narcissism. He was always rebellious, boyish, macho, a lot of the things that – although he wanted to be – inside Adam just wasn't. That was the difference between them. Adam had heart and substance and Gaston…was an oaf without deeper layers.

She took another breath in before going in and seeing Gaston with a couple of girls beside him wanting to hear a war story. She steadied herself before going up to him and gestured to a wooden chair, "Is this seat taken?" she asked with a challenging eyebrow raise.

She blinked in surprise as she saw the shock and dropped jaw of the man right in front of her. He stood, putting his beer to the side and Belle felt herself tense up.

"Well, well, well, I should have known that when presented with the option of high quality over showy bravado you would know how to tell the better man. Now, don't expect me to come easily. I'm sure that you've learned a few tricks from your experiences with that type of a man," Gaston said as he started to lean himself against the wall and showed his muscles. He lifted his arm to curl his bicep.

"Why does it have to be her," one of the girls whined.

"She has a man," the other said. Gaston just laughed at this and put his hand on Belle's arm, leading her away from them so that they could have a private conversation. "So, do you want to hear how I conquered death, how I was able to prove my brain, my brawn, my elite skills as a human man," he said and Belle coughed.

"I've come to ask you to keep a distance between you and us," Belle said before looking away for a brief moment. "I understand that I might have created situations which might have embarrassed you in the past and I apologize for that. I don't want to have anything further to do with you and neither does Adam."

"So, that bea-"

"Prince," Belle corrected him as a fire shone through her expression. She had her arms crossed over her chest and made sure to keep proper posture to create her own power. She might only be a woman and a young one at that but she had power of her own and was independent and could take care of herself. It was something that Adam loved about her and had been able to notice and respect. "He's a prince."

"You know," Gaston chuckled as he pushed a hand through his hair trying to make sure that it was perfect. "Bestiality is actually a crime."

"Well then it's perfect I married a man instead of a wild animal," Belle replied. She looked to him and sighed. "I want us to make peace with one another and am just asking you to keep your distance from us. Adam doesn't wish you harm."

"He just wishes that he could rise to my position," Gaston said as he started to pose as if he were being painted. Belle sighed.

"He's a prince," she said before turning to leave. "I've said what I came here to say."

"Is he a prince?" Gaston asked, "You should see him for what he really is," the black haired man smiled coldly and came up to Belle before saying in a mocking whisper. "I say we kill the beast."

End of Chapter Four

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