AN: Oh my gosh. I didn't realize that I hadn't updated the real Chapter Twenty One so this is actually Chapter Twenty Two and maybe you've already read it. It's hopefully going to make more sense this time.

Sorry, between eBay sales and getting vaccinated, this month kind of got away from me. Hope you enjoy even with the delayed update.

Chapter Twenty Two

22.1

Belle placed a hand on her belly as she sat by the window, a cup of hot tea in front of her. She sighed. Just as any married woman would, she wanted to spend the time with the two men in her life that mattered most but this friction between them prevented her from having that joy. Adam had done everything he had thought of to try to get into Maurice's good graces and if an outsider had seen the ball that came after his transformation, they might have thought the same. It wasn't like that.

There had been so much pain which Adam had been through that he often second guessed things and her father wasn't as loving and supportive as Belle had hoped. The sad thing was that she knew if her father was cursed instead of Adam, Adam would be doing all he could to assist in his protection and to help him. Adam wouldn't just cast him away and Belle didn't want to imagine her father doing that as well.

"So, can he control these changes?" Maurice asked and Belle smiled weakly. She looked aside.

"Not yet. I'm not supposed to be helping him with it but I support him," Belle smiled as she let her finger run along with the rim of the cup. She brought it to her lips and took a long sip with a laugh. She looked at her belly were Juliet was. "I wish that we could all be together."

"So, is his refusing to come down part of his…temperament," Maurice asked uneasily and Belle raised an eyebrow. "You know, the people in the village are asking about his absence, doesn't make sense to most of them that he's ill."

"People get sick," Belle said with a sigh, "And Papa, he's not refusing to come down. He's extremely weak in his human form and we all know how you feel about him in his…beast form," she said and Maurice frowned. "But he will be here, Juliet needs her own Papa."

"And this magic…" Maurice said as he looked to her. He reached out for her hand once Belle had placed the teacup down on the saucer. "Belle, if this magic is too hard then you need to have somewhere safe that you can go. I don't say that it's bad to be intelligent but when you're looking into the supernatural."

"I married into the supernatural," Belle said before placing a hand on her belly. "And Adam will continuously be Juliet's Papa. I wish I could convince him to be with us but he can't control the form that he's in."

Maurice sighed and nodded, "Belle, he really makes you happy, doesn't he?" he asked and Belle laughed weakly.

"Of course he does, he makes me happier than anyone I have ever known. He's a good person. He came up with a way of helping people financially in this area, he's always trying to consider what is best for the people here." Belle sighed and smiled as she looked up to see Adam watching them from the shadows. She just couldn't tell from this angle what form he was in. She excused herself from the table and walked over, she laughed gently as she touched his horn. "I'm happy that you came down," she told him. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm okay," Adam replied in a deeper voice, he looked to Maurice. "And you, how are you today, sir?" he asked and Maurice looked into the darkness. He took a slow breath in and then approached Adam who moved backwards into the shadows.

Belle placed her hand on Adam's back and another on his arm in hopes of calming him down. "I'm right here," she promised him. She looked at her father. She wanted to argue with him and tell him that he wouldn't be allowed to harm Adam but Adam most likely would hate that. He was gentle and kind and sweet and she didn't want for anyone to describe him in any other way than that.

"Maurice, I want to apologize for the way that I am now but I can't," Adam said in a nervous manner. He turned to Belle who took his paw and slid it over where Juliet was. He grinned and bowed his head. "Because of the way things have turned out, I will most likely have to be this way during most of my private life but I am not going to apologize for it. Maybe I don't look like a prince but I've learned that my mind is most important. It's the only way I can be a father to Juliet and a wife to Belle. My own father would never call me his son if he looked at me in this manner but I have to admit that I am who I am. I have to learn to exist within this body. I admire you very much and respect you and wish you nothing but good things but I have to admit that this is me."

"This is you?" Maurice asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I cannot be anyone else than I am now and I welcome you here without any strings attached. You can hate me if you want but I am the same person I am when I don't have horns and a tail. Belle has helped me with that," Adam said as he looked back to his wife. Belle led him into the light and Adam fell into a bow, making sure there was room for him to do that without his horn hitting Maurice's arm.

"So…you're domesticated?" Maurice asked and Adam laughed.

"Not really," he said as he rose again. "I'm not really an animal. I might appear to be one but I'm not truly one so I don't consider myself domesticated. I…I've learned that this is my lot in life. I will try my best to be able to accept my transformation and control it but I would like to prove to you that I can live just as good and just a kind life in this form as I have previously."

Belle placed a hand on his back as he stood up and gently massaged him.

Maurice nodded slowly, "I apologize then. I would be happy to see you becoming a father whether you are in this form or your human form," he said.

Adam smiled in relief. "Well, just because I'm becoming a papa doesn't take away from the fact that you'll be a grandpapa."

22.2

Just under a few months later, the time had come when Belle needed help to deliver Juliet. Despite the knowledge that he could control the transformation between Beast and Human, Adam still hadn't learned how to remain human without feeling an intense pain. Fortunately, even though pregnant, Belle had learned a lot about magic and had been able to place some protection spells on the delivery room and a spell to help herself not be in as dire pain. It still hurt though. It was still scary that she was giving birth and she was glad that she had both Adam and her father there.

"Are you sure there's nothing that I can do?" Adam asked. He was in his human appearance at this time with a loose white shirt and blue trousers on. He took the damp cloth and dabbed at Belle's forehead with it. He hated seeing her in pain. If he was able to do so, he would have offered to go through this instead of her. "I lo-love you so much," he told her and Belle squeezed his hand.

"Let go," she said but didn't stop clutching to his hand. Adam blinked at her, his long hair falling over his shoulder as he did his best to follow the doctor's instructions to him. Well, not all of the instructions. Apparently it wasn't appropriate for men to be there during the delivery but Adam was not going to let them enforce that rule.

"Why? I'm here. I've got you," he promised her and she looked at him.

"Let go, I need for you to not be in pain otherwise it'll hurt more," she said as she looked into his eyes. Adam opened his mouth to protest and glanced away. "I need you," she told him and Adam sighed. It felt like he was putting down a heavy pile of books and the fur grew onto his face along with the horns and the tail. Maurice moved backwards to give him more room.

"Is this what you want?" Adam asked as he gently held her hand with his paw. The doctor and Maurice shared a look between themselves but neither said anything about the beast that was waiting for his youngling.

"That is exactly what I want," Belle said as she felt more relieved with him not using his energy up by taking on a human appearance. "Thank you."

Adam sighed and nodded as he grabbed the cloth again and dabbed at her forehead. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. As the doctor told Belle that it was time to push, Adam managed to move himself to help hold her back and saw that Maurice was retreating. Adam wouldn't make mention of that. Maurice had said that he hadn't been in the room when Belle had been born, he most likely was uncomfortable seeing his daughter like that.

"I have you," Adam whispered from behind her and Belle smiled softly as she turned so her cheek was against his furry chest.

"You're soft and warm like a teddy bear," she told him and Adam blushed. He knew that she was in a lot of pain but if her thinking of him as a teddy bear helped her then that was what he would be. He just needed to make her as calm as possible, as comfortable as possible, to help her embrace the pain. He kissed her several times as he saw her give birth and as the baby was taken from her and the doctor finished seeing to things, Adam looked over at the wailing little girl.

"She's gorgeous," he smiled, exhaling as his eyes showed the excitement of a young child who had just seen a miracle being performed. He gazed upon the pink, naked, baby. "Your daughter has to be beautiful," he told her and Belle shook her head.

"Our daughter," she said and the doctor put a blanket around her and then brought her over for Belle to hold. Belle shook her head as she looked at Adam who was still staring at Juliet as if he had never seen something so beautiful. Despite him looking like a beast, this wonder, this joy, this thrill would have appeared the same on his human form. "Adam should hold her first," Belle said and Adam looked at her nervously.

"I couldn't…like this…I couldn't," he said before trying to transform but Belle stopped him.

"No," she smiled. "I want her Papa to hold her, just as he is now, one half of his true self," she told him and Adam looked at her wide-eyed. He wanted to protest and it appeared that the doctor wanted to protest as well. Adam slowly opened his arms out and the doctor set Juliet in his arms where Adam very delicately positioned his paws to hold her.

She looked up at him and blinked but her crying had quietened down, she just blinked up at him with gorgeous sapphire eyes. Belle watched them as Adam sat down, carefully moving Juliet in his hold.

"Hi," he said as the girl just watched him. "Hi, Juliet. I'm your Papa. I'm…I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is to meet you. I'm going to be the best Papa I can, Juliet." Juliet just looked up at him, not crying, not seeming scared of him at all. Adam watched her. She loved him. Even in this form, he could feel so much love from both Juliet and Belle.

He was now a Papa.

End of Chapter Twenty Two

Thank you for reading