Happy 50th! I feel like we've reached some sort of milestone! And with a milestone comes a speech ;) I'll keep it short, don't worry

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH to all you readers out there - and it's not just the readers that leave reviews, it's EVERYONE, everyone and anyone who has happened upon this story and enjoyed it and waited for another update. I know because I was once that sort of reader :) always waiting for that update but never having the guts to let the author know how much I liked the story :D

But I really do thank you guys :)

Onward! Enjoy!

Summary: Jonathan, merely four-years-old, runs off out of sight of his mama. He soon realizes he doesn't know the world around him as much as he hoped. Luckily, he meets a kind man who can help him find his family.
Number of years married: 16
Sons: 5
Daughters: 2


~:~ Brave men ~:~

"Are you lost, young sir?" a man leaning on his cane asked. He had heard rustling out in the bushes followed by a little wail then a small yelp as whoever it was might have found the man's pet rabbit.

Jonathan tumbled out of the brush and landed in the path leading up to the house. "Wha? Oh, no sir. I mean- I'm not lost. I'm just... looking for.. for.."

"Your mama?" the man guessed.

The boy's cheeks turned red and he hung his head. "Yes."

He chuckled. "No fear, dear boy. I'll help you."

Jonathan looked hopeful.

"Where did you last see her?" he asked. "How long have you been wandering?"

The boy shrugged, his bottom lip threatening to wobble. "I dunno. Just- just- I was at the market and then Mama was taking so long I wanted to go see the horses and I- I- I got lost."

He chuckled. "Alright, young lad. It'll be alright. We shall go back to the market and see if she's still there."

Jonathan nodded.

The man and the boy walked side-by-side down the winding road toward the square. The older man kept an eye out for panicked parents, mother or father. He glanced at the little boy beside him. "What's your name, son?"

"Jonathan," he said.

He chuckled. "That's a good strong name. I should know. That is mine too."

"Really?" the little boy looked up with a wide grin. "My mama named me. She said I was named after a brave man, but-but I think if I were named after a really brave man, she woulda named me after my papa."

"Your pa's a really brave man?"

He nodded quickly. "Oh yes! He's the greatestest hunter in the whole world!"

"Ah," he chuckled. "You do look like a hunter's son. I reckon one day, you will be a great hunter just like him!"

"Really?"

"Ooh yes, indeed," he chuckled.

Little Jonathan beamed. "Oh, I'm gonna be just like my papa! He's gonna be proud!" Then he glanced around and looked worried. "But I don't know nothing 'bout hunting." He looked up at Older Jonathan. "What am I gonna do?"

He chuckled again. "You'll have plenty of time to practice, my boy. Say, how old are you?"

He counted on his fingers. "Four."

"My! You are young! Ah, yes. You have years ahead of you. Enough time to do whatever you want," he smiled.

They turned the corner and saw the stables Jonathan had been talking about seeing. The older man scanned the crowd and it didn't take him long to find a worried looking man and woman straining to see above everyone else. He took Little Jonathan's hand so he wouldn't hurry to them - he feared the child would wind up getting more lost. He raised his hand, catching the woman's eye.

"I think I found your parents," he said and Jonathan pulled forward. "Ah, ah, ah. They're on their way here. Best to stay put."

"Mama!" the boy cried, finally seeing Belle who looked equally relieved to see her son.

The older man smiled as he let the boy run to her.

She knelt down and hugged him tightly. She glanced up gratefully at the man. "Oh, thank you, sir. I don't know how to thank you- oh!" She squeezed her son and pulled back, giving him a firm look. "You must always stay in my sight. In someone's sight. I can't bear to lose you."

"I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry," he cried, nodding into her shoulder when she pulled him close again.

She picked him up and kissed the side of his head. "Hush now, you're alright. I'm here." She sighed and turned into the man in red beside her. He pressed his hand to her back. "First your brothers and sisters and now you," she muttered. But she set aside her worry and thanked the other. "Thank you again. Is- is there anything I can do to repay you? Oh, there must be something we can do."

He chuckled, "No, no, it's quite alright. Having the boy home safe is enough payment for me." He smiled at her then her husband who seemed to be regarding him warily. But he nodded to the man anyway, holding out his hand in greeting. "Your son has said a great deal about you. He wants to be a hunter just like you."

Gaston glanced at the offered hand then back at its owner. He did not shake it.

He cleared his throat and lowered his arm. "He also says you are a really brave man and that he should have been named after you... and not someone like me."

The dull flame in Gaston's eyes blew out and he avoided his gaze. "Haven't seen you in years," he finally said. "How- how have you been?"

But the man wouldn't let Gaston's behavior go unnoticed, "You still resent me, don't you?"

No answer.

"You resent me for not saving your mother sooner."

"Gaston," Belle scolded or gasped or said with slight surprise - Gaston couldn't exactly tell which. "And here I thought you were perfectly fine with me naming our son after-"

But her son lifted his head. "Papa?" Little Jonathan asked quietly.

Older Jonathan shook his head and gently clapped Gaston's shoulder. "Tell him later, when he's old enough to understand. It's- it's good to see you, Gaston, Belle."

"Same here." Then he spoke just before the man grew out of earshot, "And Jon..."

He turned.

"Thank you. For what you did for her."

He gave a polite nod in return.

Belle looped her arm through his elbow and rested her cheek on his shoulder. "So you don't despise my choice of a name?"

He scoffed. "No, but you know we could always use another Gaston around Villeneuve."

"Oh, don't you start," she muttered. "I knew he'd boost your ego by what he said."

He chuckled. "Come. Let's get this little guy home before your other child gets the idea of running off," he said referring to Cedric - who was currently at Granpapa's.

"My child? Gaston, they are your children when they get into trouble," she argued.

He held up his finger to stop her. "Uh-uh, I'm not the one who wants to go off on mindless adventures. Hunting-" He held up his finger again as this precise thing was on her tongue. "-Hunting is necessary, Belle, it's not mindless and I always prepare."

She pursed her lips. "Well, they're your children when they break something in the house."

"That they are," he said almost proudly.

"But children need to have adventures," she tried weakly.

"It's those books-"

She whacked his arm.

"Okay, it's not those books," he corrected. He pulled her close for a moment before he opened Maurice's gate. "I am not against adventures, my love. Just against our children leaving without telling us where and how long they will be gone."

She bit her lip and sighed. "We'll have to have a discussion with them. But I think we should all go to the valley and let them wander. Let them have fun." She smiled when he opened the front door. "Papa?"

Maurice appeared from the kitchen. His worried eyes cleared at the sight of Jonathan. "Ah, you found him. I was beginning to wonder if..."

"No, we're lucky someone we knew found him," she smiled.

He chuckled. "Well, he's just like you, Belle. In search of adventure!"

Gaston gave her a grin and she narrowed her eyes. "Ha ha, both of you have made your point." And she tried to glare at her hunter but his grin grew contagious, especially when he kissed her lips and took the sleeping four-year-old off her hands.


What happened with the older siblings, you ask? Well, that'll be a story for next time ;)