Hello again everyone! Once again, thank you all for the kind words and suggestions. Y'all really know how to make a girl smile! Anyway, on to the next one-shot, the longest one I've written for this little collection! It's got my favorite tropes, nightmares and found families! So I hope you all enjoy, because I had a good time writing this one :)

Panic.

It wasn't something he felt often and when he did nothing good came of it. He remembered as a child the panic he felt when his mother's grip on his hand loosened, her bright eyes becoming dull as he was pulled away from her.

He remembered the panic he felt when he had become a beast, how his bones snapped as his body changed. It was horrifying and every part of him screamed in agony. Within his own pain and panic, he could hear the cries of his house staff, and he couldn't bear to think what had happened to them.

Panic followed him when he saved Belle from the wolves, an odd sense of concern washing over him when he thought of the brunette. The girl who had refused to dine with him, who had entered his wing and almost touched the rose that could have damned them all. Who switched places with her pleading father, who dared to talk back to him on multiple occasions. The thought of her dying and it being partially his fault, he wouldn't allow that to happen.

Panic was not an emotion the Beast associated with good things.

It was all he felt though as he ran through his castle, desperately looking for his staff. The villagers had made their way to the castle at one point, but they seemed to have fled as he dashed down the staircase. He wasn't sure how much time he had left, the last petal was doomed to drop any minute. He had failed them, had given his staff hope, but couldn't break the curse to turn them back.

Pain gripped at his heart as he thought of Belle running from the west wing. He saw the fear in her eyes, the desperation, as she watched what was happening in the mirror. He knew he couldn't keep her in the castle, how important her father was to her. But that meant his staff, whom he had come to think of as a small family, would have to pay the price.

Spotting a hint of a flame outside the castle doors, the Beast burst through them. For a second time that night, his heart sank.

Lifeless. Silence hung in the air as he slowly made his way past Cadenza and Madame de Gardarobe, who stood only feet from one another. His eyes trailed over to the trolley and he held back a whine as he saw the faceless kettle and cup of Mrs. Potts and Chip. Her voice ringing in his head, encouraging him on sharing his feelings with Belle, and he quickly looked away.

Stopping a few feet away, Cogsworth, Plumette, and Lumiere were all huddled together. Slowly falling to his knees, the Beast leaned forward and looked over the objects, tears in his eyes. This is not what he wanted to happen, this was not as it should have been. Lumiere, so life like even as a candelabra, was cold. Even Cogsworth's gears were silent. He reached out to touch them, but quickly brought his paw back. There was nothing he could do now. He glared down at his claws and slammed his fisted paws on the groud, a roar crying out into the silence.

It was all his fault. If he hadn't been the arrogant, selfish prince he was the night of the ball, this would not have happened. If he had found love sooner, if he told Belle his true feelings, there could have been a chance. For them. The staff who stood by him even in those years of hopelessness, even when he treated them like dirt. Somehow, they still cared for him, loved him.

And he couldn't do anything in return.

Slowly, he made his way back to the west wing. The castle was slowly grumbling apart, but that didn't matter now. He would be alone for the rest of his days, wallowing in his despair as he lived out his life with no one.

Dragging his feet into his room, he looked around, too drained to be angry. Something caught his attention though, from the corner of his eye. Turning, he felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up.

Belle.

She stood by the glass vase, looking over it's contents like she did so many nights ago when he first scared her off. She shimmered in the moonlight with her yellow dress, almost like an angel.

"Belle?" he whispered, slowly walking towards her. She turned her head, slowly, and a faint smile graced her lips. It was her, she had come back! She held out her hand to him and he took it, her warm skin too good to be true.

"Belle…," he whispered again, disbelief coming over him, "You...you cam-"

Her hazel eyes widened and she grabbed his arm, "Look out!"

It was like a bomb went off.

He stood there in shock, looking down at Belle. Red was blossoming from her right shoulder, sliding down her arm and pooling into the yellow dress that once glowed. Her eyes, which had always held a sense of mischief, of love, were clouded over, tears forming at the corners of them.

"Did you honestly think she could love you?"

The voice was muffled to the Beast as he slowly kneeled down next to Belle, taking her hand in his. It was so cold, so limp. This was not what was supposed to happen! She had protected him, when it should have been him on the ground, dying.

He felt himself shaking as his vision blurred. The hurt, the love, the pain of it all was too much for him. The thought of his staff being gone because of him, now Belle joined them as well. All because of him, because of his faults.

Nothing else mattered now. He smelt the gunpowder coming closer to him, but as he leaned down over Belle, crying for what felt like the first time in years, he didn't care.

Panic rushed through Adam as he shoot up in bed, gasping for air in a frenzy. A hand flew to his chest, combing through his hair, which was now a mess, and he quickly looked around the room. Nothing was out of place. It was as it was when he had fallen asleep, the only source of light coming from the moon through some of the windows. His heart felt like a drum, his skin covered in sweat that left him with a chill. He could feel the hair on his arms all standing up and he tried to catch his breath.

It had been a nightmare. A twisted, dreadful nightmare, but a nightmare just the same.

But it felt so real…

He gazed down at his hands, now clawless and with less hair, and he took a deep breath through his nose. It had been awhile since a nightmare had riled him up that badly. It had mostly been right after the transformation happened, but the dreams were never as vivid as the one he just had. He could remember every detail, the coldness of Belle's skin, the lifelessness of his staff. He squeezed his eyes shut, combing his hands through his hair, trying to forget it all.

Cracking his eyes open slightly, his gaze found it's way to the other half of the bed. It was empty. Adam sighed, his hand tracing where Belle would usually be.

Maurice was going to be moving into the castle in the next few days and Belle had offered to help her father pack for the move. Adam had insisted on helping, which Belle had found sweet, but told him that it wouldn't take too much time. Just the weekend away, to make sure everything would be ready when a carriage arrived.

Shaking his head, Adam climbed out of the bed and walked over to his desk. With every step he took, he could still feel himself shaking. It had felt too real, a reality that could have happened, and it struck a nerve in him.

"But it didn't happen like that," he grumbled, leaning over his desk, "so stop...shaking…"

It was no use. Groaning, the young prince grabbed a robe from near by and pulled it on. Too drained from the dream, he didn't bother with footwear and he made his way out of the west wing.

Sleep was the furthest thing from his mind right now, and he didn't expect he'd be able to go back to it even if he wanted. Walking always seemed to clear his head, let his mind wander to other matters then letting it linger.

Stepping down the main staircase, soft laughter echoed through the air that startled him. Who else could still be up at this late hour?

Following the sound, he could make out some talking as well, though it was whispered. It sounded like three, maybe four people, and he had a pretty good idea who they were. He was tempted to walk through the kitchen door, maybe try and act surprised when he saw Lumiere, Plumette, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts all sitting there, but something stopped him. His mind flashed back to them as objects and he felt himself tense up. It was ridiculous to think about, because he knew that they were themselves, back to the lives they had almost lost, but the dream nagged at him.

The kitchen door flew open and Adam found himself jumping back slightly, startled.

Lumiere, who was without his wig, had a smirk on his face but it slowly slid off as he looked over his prince. The young man, who usually presented himself very well, looked pale, shaking slightly, and his hair was disheveled, some of it falling over his face. His eyebrows furrowed, concerned, but tried to pull the smile back, "Master, what are you doing up so late?"

"I…," Adam paused, trying to relax. He didn't want Lumiere to know, he didn't want to worry his staff. They already did so much for him his entire life, he didn't want to add another burden, "I couldn't sleep...I thought I'd come down to get something to drink."

"Of course! Come," he said, leading the blonde through the door, "Mrs. Potts just finished up with some tea, that should help you."

"I don't want to intru-"

"Nonsense Master," Cogsworth grumbled from the table in the middle of the room, Plumette and Mrs. Potts sitting on each side of him, "there's plenty of tea for us all."

As they approached, Adam could see Mrs. Potts scrutinizing him. He held back a sigh, preparing for her onslaught of questions. She could be like a mother hen sometimes, much to Belle's delight, and always knew how to get information out of him that he didn't want to share.

Lumiere pulled out a chair for Adam, then sat next to Plumette, who greeted the prince with a warm smile, "Sleeping troubles are the worst," she said, "a good cup of tea always helped me when I need to relax."

"Yes I suppose," he replied in a low whisper, his eyes darting to each of the people at the table. He took in each of their faces, memorizing every detail he could. This is who his staff was, who they had always been, but his mind continued to play tricks on him. He would look to Lumiere and still see a flash of gold, a hint of a flame, when there wasn't any of it in sight. He could hear the ticking of a clock, gears slowly grinding. The paint marks of a china set would linger around Mrs. Potts eyes before he blinked them away. Feathers would float around Plumette, her face concerned as she leaned forward to say something, but he couldn't hear. It was like a buzzing noise and each second it grew louder and louder, and Adam wanted to curl in on himself, block out the noise, block it all out.

He had done that to them, had stolen years of their lives away because of his selfish, cold nature. They had almost died because of him and yet they still sat here with him, like nothing had changed. How could they stand to be around him, to be in this castle?

"Master?"

Blinking, he tensed, realizing he has drifted off. All of their faces were concerned, Mrs. Potts slowly moving around the table towards him.

Standing up abruptly, he backed away, "I…, I'm sorry to have bothered you all," he mumbled, "I have a lot on my mind, I don't want to bo-"

Warm hands cupped his face and his eyes were glued to his feet, not wanting to meet Mrs. Potts worrying eyes.

"You," she said strongly, "are not bothering us. What has shaken you so much?"

"I'm fin-"

"Don't you dare say 'you're fine' or so help me…"

He looked up at the older woman, eyes wide, and they stared at one another for only a few moments, but it felt like hours.

The others, watching from the table, stayed silent.

The sternness of her expression melted away slowly as Mrs. Potts rubbed his cheek softly, "You don't need to hide away anymore. Your emotions aren't a burden for only you to bear, they are something you can share. We weren't there for you as a child," her voice cracked and Adam's vision blurred slightly, tears forming, "but we are here now my boy. And we always will be."

He ducked his head, her hands not leaving his cheeks, and he tried to control himself. It used to be so easy before all of this had happened. He had been so cold, pretending to not care what others thought of him. It was all about him and how he wanted to be pampered every second. He didn't care for others, too much pain had come with that. Why care when all he needed to worry about was himself?

But then the curse came and he lived in despair for years. Mirrors shattered as he would look at himself, the true person he was. Angry. Alone. A hideous beast.

Then Maurice stumbled upon his castle. And with him, Belle came. Everything changed after that. He had changed.

Taking a deep breath, Adam looked back up at Mrs. Potts, a small smiling tugging at his lips, "Thank you…" he whispered, gently laying a hand over her's.

Her own smile grew and she quickly pulled him into a hug, startling the younger man. He froze, not sure how to react, and he looked to the three at the table for some help. Lumiere covered his mouth, hiding a laugh, and Plumette softly smiled. Cogsworth sat up straight, a proud expression on his face, though he tried to still appear as grumpy as he always was.

Relaxing into her grip, Adam slowly wrapped his arms around the shorter woman, returning the hug. He laughed lightly to himself, "I do remember liking your hugs a lot…" he mumbled.

She pulled back, "When I was able to give them," she teased, "you always seemed to be on the move."

"An energetic boy you were," Cogsworth chimed in, "Trying to get you to sit for a lesson was a nightmare."

"In his defense old friend," Lumiere said as Mrs. Potts and Adam made their way back to the table, "I would have trouble sitting still in one of your long lectures. They are, what you say...very dry."

The two argued back and forth as Adam sat down, Mrs. Potts next to him with her full attention. The shaking had gone away and he found himself feeling more relaxed, the tenseness in his shoulders gone.

"I…," he started, causing the two two older men to pause in their jabs, "I had a nightmare, which I've had before, but this one...it felt so real. Like it could have happened, how it almost did happen and I…," he combed a hand through his hair, leaning back in his chair, "I was scared."

"Scared?" Lumiere asked, leaning forward, "You've had nightmares before, as you said. What was it about this one? Because Master, you looked like a ghost when I opened that door."

He laughed lightly, "I almost felt like one, I couldn't stop shaking," he paused again, his eyes focused on the table to avoid eye contact with them, "I...I was a beast again and was running through the castle, the last petal...it had yet to fall. The villagers, they had come and gone, and I was so worried about all of you...but then I found you.

"And you were all…," he took a deep breath again, trying to control himself, "All I could think about was how it was my fault, that I couldn't stop the petal from falling, and for that you all...died."

"But we didn't," Mrs. Potts replied, grabbing his hand, "We're here. Alive."
"You did though," he countered, a sad smile on his lips, "The rose petal...it did fall. I felt myself go and I know, even if...it was for the briefest of moments, you all turned."

Plumette squeezed Lumiere's hand and glanced over to him, unshed tears in her eyes. It had been brief, but the feeling of slowly dying was not something that she or the others would shake easily. If at all. Like a slow, crawling pain that wouldn't go away. True, that it was because of their prince they were the way they were. But Plumette had never blamed him solely. Her eyes darted over him and though he looked like the man before the curse, he was completely different. It was his eyes, which had always been a telling sign even at a young age. They seemed warmer, especially when he was around Belle, but they also held a kindest that wasn't there in his later years.

"This burden was not your's to bear alone Master," Plumette assured, "don't blame yourself. Don't let those kind of thoughts linger in your mind, they can only do more damage than good."

Stormy blue eyes met her's and she could see the conflict within them. There was something he hadn't mentioned yet, something that had shaken him. What kind of nightmares did he have, she wondered, to leave him in the state he was in.

"Something else happened in the nightmare…," she whispered.

Nodding slowly, Adam looked away from them, his eyes distant, "I went back up to the west wing and I was so tired. There was nothing left for me, everyone I knew...everyone I loved, gone. But then she was there. Belle...she was near the vase, in her yellow dress and she...she was glowing. I couldn't believe it.

"We were together, her hand was warm in my paw, and though you were all gone...Belle had come back. And for a moment," he chuckled darkly, "Everything was fine. Then, the next thing I know, Belle is on the ground and...blood is pooling around her and she's so cold. And there's nothing I can do and I-"

"Adam."

Blinking, he turned to look back at them. Mrs. Potts was still squeezing his hand, holding back tears. Lumiere's eyebrows were furrowed, concern on his face. Plumette had reached out and took Adam's other hand, when she did he wasn't too sure. Cogsworth, who hadn't said much during this entire thing, had genuine worry his eyes as he watched Adam.

A cool feeling slide down his cheek and it was then Adam realized he had started to cry. Gently, taking his hand from Mrs. Potts, he wiped at his cheeks, trying to dry them away.

"It was a nightmare Adam. Rooted in fears you hold, yes, but it was only a nightmare. You are here, back in your own body. So are we. And Belle," she whispered in a reassuring tone, "will be back tomorrow, with her father. Safe."

"If you ever need to talk about these things Master," Lumiere continued, "please...let us know. We are all more than willing to listen."

"It could even be the smallest of things," Plumette chimed in, "but don't let these things fester inside. All of us, we love you."

"Let us help you when we can," Cogsworth reiterated, his voice as sincere as he could muster.

Adam looked over all of them, eyes wide in disbelief. Something warm settled in his chest and it coursed through his whole body. It was love, he realized, and it took all of his control not to cry again.

"You are all….so much kinder to me then what I deserve. Thank you. I…," he whispered, trailing off for a moment. It hadn't been so long ago that he was found himself wallowing in despair every day. When he would go weeks without talking to his staff, paying them no mind, just so he could be alone. Even in those times though, somehow they still cared for him.

His eyes travelled around the table, taking in their faces again, and he slowly smiled. A genuine smile that took over him. Within these walls that used to hold no love, Adam found more of it each passing day. With Belle. And with his staff.

"I love all of you too."