Chapter 7

After another dinner with Hades, Belle went back to her room. Now that her leg was healed, she could walk back by herself. But she missed the feeling of being in Hades' arms. He didn't hold her anymore, as if he was afraid of something. But that was impossible. What did Hades have to fear? Hercules and Meg would be horrified to know that she was falling in love with their enemy. They thought Hades was the worst villain of all. But he was different now. Surely, he no longer cared about taking over Mt. Olympus or causing endless amounts of torture for the souls down here. "I want to be with you." That's what he had said. But did that mean he was willing to give up a lifelong dream? Well, she wouldn't think about it now.

After blowing out the candle on the nightstand, Belle drifted off to sleep, but not a very peaceful one.

Belle was walking through the gardens of the Underworld, waiting for Hades to join her so they could spend the day together. However, everything in the garden was even darker and more foreboding than usual. Something just didn't feel right. Suddenly, her dress got caught on a thorny branch. As Belle tried to pull away, she heard a voice and a cruel laugh to go along with it. She would know that voice anywhere. Gaston. But how had he gotten past Cerberus or Hades?

"What are you doing here, Gaston?" Belle asked frightened. How had Gaston gotten into the Underworld? Hades never left the entrance unguarded. Now she knew something was wrong.

"You cannot escape me forever, Belle. Even Hades cannot alter destiny, but he is a fool if he deludes himself into thinking you could love him. I would be a much better husband for you."

"You are not my destiny, Gaston! I will never marry you!" Belle shouted at him and pulled desperately at the branch so she could get away and find Hades.

But before she could free herself, Gaston grabbed her wrist harshly as Belle cried out in pain.

"You're mine, Belle! I will find you, no matter what it takes. No one can protect you now. Not even Hades, with his magic growing weaker by the second."

Belle woke with a scream and cried out, "Hades!" But he never came.

Hades awoke with the sense that someone had called out to him. Belle. Even though he had wanted to go to her, he knew it wouldn't have been right. Besides, what if in his effort to comfort her he accidentally hurt her? He refused to hurt her again, still feeling guilty of the last time he had let his temper and his powers get the best of him.

I'll just have to wait until morning, and ask her about her nightmare then.

The next morning…

Hades sat at the breakfast table waiting for Belle, sensing her fear from whatever nightmare she had had last night. Even when they were apart, he could sense how she was feeling. Almost like a connection.

Suddenly, Hades saw Belle walk into the room. She was wearing a blue gown with white lace on the sleeves. It seemed that he always noticed what she wore, but anything made her even more beautiful. Hopefully she didn't notice how much he stared at her with that look of his, but he was sure she knew. Belle was smart enough to figure him out, even if he couldn't understand his own feelings.

"Good morning, Belle." Hades thought about smiling at her, but he held back. He didn't want to frighten her, even though Belle was past that by now.

"Oh, good morning, Hades. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there."

"Is something wrong, Belle?"

"No, everything's fine. I'm just tired." Belle said with a yawn.

"Because of the nightmare last night?" Hades questioned.

Belle looked up at him, startled. "How did you know about that?"

"I heard you call out for me last night, but I wasn't sure it was a good idea if I came. Now that I realize that it obviously frightened you, I wish I had been there to protect you. Did you want to talk about it?"

Belle thought for a moment. Did she trust Hades enough to tell him? "It was about Gaston." Belle said slowly.

"Was he your sweetheart?" Hades asked hesitantly.

"No! Of course not, I can't stand him. He's horrible and cruel. He mocks me all the time, but wants to marry me, but only because he says I'm the most beautiful girl in town."

"Why would he propose to you if he is cruel to you?" Hades asked curiously. To him, it didn't make any sense, but then again maybe it did. Typical action of a villain, just like him. His past was always coming back to haunt him.

"Besides saying that I'm beautiful, there isn't another reason. He laughs at me for reading. The town thinks he's a hero."

Suddenly, Belle saw Hades tense up at the word hero. "Hades, are you alright?"

"Sorry Belle, it's just not my favorite word. I didn't mean to upset you. Please continue."

"Hades, if I was in a situation where I needed help, would you come after me?" Belle asked nervously. But Hades didn't hesitate.

"Always, Belle. Always. No matter what." Belle smiled at him softly.

"Well, now that you've told me what happened, I know the perfect way to cheer you up. I need help finding a new book to read from the library."

"Why do you need my help?"

"I can't think of anyone else to ask, and obviously, I'm sure you're an expert on finding the best books." Hades grinned, and Belle smiled knowingly. He was definitely right about that.

When they got to the library, Belle stared at the shelves in amazement. Every time she came in here, it was just like the day he'd surprised her with giving her the library.

"Alright, Belle. Lead on."

"But Hades, this is your library. I thought you knew where everything was in here." Belle stated, confused.

"Well, I…I guess it's just been too long since I've been in here." Hades said, embarrassed.

"Well, there's always the classics. Have you ever read Shakespeare?" Belle asked.

"No, I can't read Italian very well." Hades looked away, embarrassed once again.

"Don't you have any translations?"

"Translations?" Hades looked at her quizzically.

"Shakespeare is written in Italian. I read it with a French translation, so there should be one in Greek as well."

"Actually, I'm fluent in French." He remarked casually.

"French it is, then," Belle smiled, "and lucky for us it just so happens that this is the perfect book to read aloud." Belle handed Hades a copy of Romeo and Juliet.

"But that's a love story. From what I've heard anyway. Doesn't seem like my type of story."

"You never know. Books have a way of surprising us. It doesn't hurt to give it a chance."

"Alright. I'll try it. Thank you, Belle." Nervously, Hades leaned in and gave Belle a quick kiss on the cheek, then vanished quickly out of the room.

As he left, he saw Belle hold a hand to her cheek where he had kissed her. Seeing her smile was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. Maybe he had a chance after all.