AN: Really random thought here. Years ago when I was doing a creative writing class, my instructor told me that you really only pay attention and remember things that hit you emotionally or are well-written and this was before they asked us to rewrite a short story in our own style. I was reminded of that with a guest review that said that they picked a chapter of this story to rewrite. Oh my god. I feel like, so honored that you love me that much. I definitely want to read it. I mean, I'm really against people copying others work but I am just so thrilled and so touched. I told all my friends about this person who loves me and idolizes so much that they invested time in not only reading my fanfiction but interacting with it as well. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for loving me, anonymous reviewer XD

If you didn't adore me then you would never spend this much time on me. I am honored.

Chapter Twenty Three

23.1

Adam froze as he looked down to the sleeping infant. Juliet had been born two days ago and Adam couldn't help but to keep watching her. He had now held her several times in both of his forms and she didn't seem to care. All she wanted was warmth and comfort and maybe security. Either way, beast or human, Adam could care for Juliet and act as a proud Papa.

Maurice had been attempting to speak more kindly to Adam and have an open mind and as he saw Adam in his Beast form beside where Juliet was sleeping, he chuckled. Adam looked quickly over to him. "She's going to be okay. You're doing a great job. Much better than most new fathers, I'll tell you that."

"I just want to be the best Papa that I can be," Adam replied before hearing Juliet stir in her sleep. He moved backwards whilst holding his paws up hoping that the baby wouldn't start crying. She needed her rest. She needed for him not to bother her as much.

Instead of going back to sleep, Juliet started wailing loudly and Adam moved forwards. He closed his eyes to concentrate his thoughts before picking Juliet up in human form. He brought her to his chest and gently swayed as he had figured out that she liked.

"It's okay. It's okay," he tried to soothe her as he went to sit down with her in his arms. Maurice leaned over to get a better look at his granddaughter. "Papa's here. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you," he told her.

Juliet blinked her beautiful blue eyes up at him and drifted off to sleep in her Papa's arms.

"So, Belle is still resting?" Maurice asked and Adam nodded. Belle had felt exhausted by the whole trial of giving birth to Juliet and of using her magic to keep them safe. No harm was supposed to befall this home but they were all fearing the time someone might try to harm her.

"She is. I'm only able to protect Juliet physically…or by ordering others to follow a plan in means of thinking of a plan, Belle is the one who is able to do charms and spells which will keep her protected." Adam let his fingers run through the tiny amount of hair on her head. "I mean -"

"You have much more power when you're not human, right?" Maurice asked and Adam took a slow breath in before nodding. He still felt pain when in human form and so he had to spend much more time as a beast than he wanted to and he knew that the beast would have to come out but maybe one day he could spend most of his life as a human instead of the reverse.

"I have more power and stronger uses of my five senses but…I want to be this way for Belle and Juliet. I have to publicly appear in this way," Adam looked over to Maurice and then smiled softly. "Would you like to hold her for a moment?" he offered the inventor and saw the eagerness on his face. "Here, be gentle with her," Adam said as he lay Juliet in his open arms.

He sat back and smiled as he saw the love that Maurice had for her. His father would never acknowledge her even when he returned. In fact, Adam doubted that after the war was over, if Juliet did go to see him as a teenager she would not receive a warm reception. Still, he wanted to make sure that everything that she needed was provided for her here.

"She's truly a beauty, Adam," Maurice said and Adam laughed, his eyes shining with so much enjoyment and happiness.

"I'm so glad that she takes after her mother in that way. She's stunning. I already know that if I don't catch myself I'm going to be one of those overly protective fathers who would hurt someone who does their daughter har-" he started to say before looking at Maurice. He took slow breaths to steady himself. He had been a beast who had taken Belle in and sounded as if he could do her harm. Whilst he had never physically attacked her, the thought of imprisonment was terrifying and the way he had separated the two of them. Adam grew silent as he turned to look away from Maurice.

"I did want to do that to you, I think we need to look back at it as a misunderstanding and look forward into what kind of a life you can provide for this sweet girl."

Adam smiled as his eyes made contact with the older man's. He nodded in agreement. He wished that he could have been able to think earlier in his life, he would have been able to think and consider his options realistically but being caged made you lose those options and he had never been brought up to be kind and considerate. Kindness and consideration and even love were not things thought highly of in his family.

"You'd think that as royalty, you could afford some manners," Adam said with a bowed head. He saw Maurice place the little girl down and sighed. He looked to Maurice, "I'm sorry, I'm getting tired," he told him and Maurice nodded. Within only a moment, there was now Adam in his Beast form in the room.

"It really feels better for you in that form?" Maurice asked and Adam nodded. He didn't hate it as much as he used to but he really would prefer to not bear the curse upon him. If Belle hadn't found that spell to stretch and shrink clothing during a transformation then they would have a lot of ripped fabric but fortunately the enchantress had led her to that magic.

"As long as Belle feels safe and happy and cared for when I'm in this form, I'll accept and acknowledge that it has to stay," he said and Maurice nodded, sitting down next to him. He studied Adam's form again. He had found himself with much less disgust after seeing how kindly and gently he treated not just Juliet but Belle as well. Adam was a good person who had had something terrible happen to him.

Maurice was about to answer before Adam's eyes slid closed and he started to snore, lying down on the floor now to accommodate his massive body.

23.2

Adam looked around at the large walls, the flags for his country, the crest for his family, the endless corridors and knew that he was in the castle. He turned to look to a mirror at his side and found out that he was wearing a crown, the king's crown, with formal dress on. He looked towards the entrance to the castle and found himself a little weaker.

"Here," he heard a voice and saw Belle, much older than the present time but still as beautiful as ever. "You're tired, Adam. I know you are," she said and he looked to her and nodded. "I love you," she told him before leading him to a room with a warm fire and four comfortable chairs around it. There were books on shelves on the wall and a few other items like a bow and arrow and a piano.

Belle led him to the largest seat and as Adam sat down in it and relaxed he felt the horns and tail appear. Belle sat beside him, hugging him closely and burying kisses into his furry face. "We made you something to eat," she said and Adam looked to see that behind her was a girl about the age of Belle when he had met her and a boy only a few years younger.

"Papa!" the girl said. Adam blinked. The girl had his shade of hair and his shade of eyes but a lot of the angles on her body looked like Belle's. She was beautiful but with a figure much different than her mother's. Still having ample butt and bosoms did not detract from how gorgeous she was. "Here, we made you some soup. You were wonderful," she said as she ran to hug him and Adam opened his arms wide. She wasn't scared about the way he looked and just accepted him as her father.

"Papa, you truly were amazing," the boy nodded and Adam looked at him.

"William," Adam said as he saw the young man smiling. William looked to be about twelve or thirteen and Juliet fifteen or sixteen. "Thank you. Shouldn't I transfor-"

"I like seeing you like this," Juliet told him as she hugged him again. "I am so proud of you Papa."

"Me too," William nodded and Adam saw how much he looked like Belle. "I am honored to be your son."

Adam looked between his two children and his wife before hearing a pounding on the door. He stood despite Juliet and Belle trying to keep him from exhausting himself. Adam shook them off but as he walked down the hallway it became smokier and hotter and he could see flames in front of him. He heard the crackle of flames and then the burning parts of the castle. As he looked towards the door again the flames grew wilder and he saw the door get further and further away and then the screams of a baby.

He coughed. There was dark, thick, black smoke all around him and then there was a glimmer of light. Adam moved towards it before finding there to be a gun there as well as a sword and there was the crown he had been wearing earlier, the crown that the king wore.

He picked it up in his paws and saw it crumble away into ashes. What did this mean? He heard wails and the smoke cleared away until he could see a ghostly version of his father.

"I am sorry, my son," he said. "It's up to you now. Avenge me."

After that was said, Adam saw his father's ghost get onto a horse and ride off into the sky.

23.3

Adam woke up to find that he wasn't alone with Maurice any longer but most of the people in the castle were there. Belle was kneeling in front of him with a pained expression on her face and Adam blinked at her. He looked over to where Juliet was still sleeping and saw the concerned glances on his friends faces.

"What?" he asked, "Juliet!"

"She's okay, Adam, she's okay," Belle tried to persuade him. She let her hands cup his furry cheeks and he tried to figure out what was going on. "Juliet is okay. I am okay. You are okay…but….your father is dead."

Adam stared at her. His eyes widened as he figured out that he might have been given a clue to that before he had woken up. He stared ahead of him not knowing how to respond.

"And your brother still intends to give up the throne, to the best of my knowledge," Cogsworth added and Adam looked around him.

"Which makes you the king," Lumiere said and Adam stared at them.

What?

End of Chapter Twenty Three

Thank you for reading

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty Two

DarthLeia19, KathyMesser, Rachel