A/N: This chapter was written by me, Holbyta, Samoapheonix9, and Wrestlemaniac829.

Finally, after a long day of preparation, the night of the ball had arrived. For the first time in a great deal of time, everyone in the castle had something to look forward to and thus everyone attended this special occasion. Objects danced with their fellow objects, the animals danced with the animals, and in-between there was a mixture of both on the dance floor. Among the attended guests, Gutknecht, Manx, and Madame de la Grande Bouche stood near the refreshment table talking amongst themselves. In the midst of their conversation, Miss Doe approached them.

"How is everyone, tonight?" She asked kindly.

"Quite well, actually," Manx replied. "I say this ball was an excellent idea, MIss Doe."

"Thank you, Manx."

They bow to each other, as Miss Doe slowly turned to face Gutknecht.

"Um, Gutknecht?"

"Yes?" The wooden butler replied.

"Would this nice old chap be so kind as to partake in a dance with me?"

"I'd love to," Gutknecht replied, smiling.

He extends his hand and grasps Doe's paws in gentle fashion, the two walking together to join the others in the Dance Floor.

"I must warn you; I may be a little stiff."

Miss Doe simply giggled in response, as the two began to dance together. Because when it was all said and done, none of that mattered except for one thing: Tonight was going to be a magical night and everyone was going to remember this. Katrina, who was also among the group, watched in amazement seeing her mother dance with such beauty and grace. She was awestruck to see her mother in a way she had never seen before. Manx, standing next to Katrina, simply shook his head with a hint of jealousy.

"Wow!" She said. "Mommy dances so pretty; so does Mr. Gutknecht."

"I can dance just as good as him," Manx retorted, turning to the wardrobe. "Madame, care to dance?"

"Why, I'd love to Manx," The Wardrobe answered.

Naturally, it was quite an awkward situation considering that the Wardrobe had no arms whatsoever. Regardless, the two managed to have their dance as they bounded across the floor with such grace. For certain, they managed to find a way to work around their obvious flaws and actually found a way to put them to good use... Most of the time.

"It's been a while since we've danced, hasn't it?" Manx asked.

Suddenly, he yelped as he felt a sharp pain from a rather familiar place.

"Heh, sorry about that," The wardrobe said, her wooden face flushing a rosy hue.

"Please... Step off... My tail."

Indeed, the Wardrobe's foot was firmly positioned on the cat's tail. She gasped, realizing why Manx was in such pain.

"Oh goodness Manx, I'm so sorry!" She apologized, stepping off his tail. "It's not broken is it?"

"No, no," Manx answered, even as he winced in pain. "It's quite alright."

Despite the minor setback, they continued their dance together. In the meantime, on the other side of the dance floor, Lumiere was hand-in-hand with Babette. Or in this case, candlestick-in-feather to be exact.

"Oh, mon cheri," Lumiere mused. "You are as light as a feather. Considering that you are a bird."

"Oh Lumiere," Babette giggled, batting her eyes. "You're too much."

Just then, at that very moment, Cogsworth came running down the stairs and was practically exhausted by the time he reached the floor. For he had a rather important announcement to make, as everyone turned to face him.

"Quickly, quickly!" He shouted. "They're coming, they're coming!"

At that sudden announcement, Manx almost dropped his monocle.

Excuse me, Madame," He said, bowing. "But I must conduct the orchestra."

Manx rushed off, grabbing a baton along the way and stood in front of the living instruments, all gathered together and awaiting for the cue to start playing.

"And I think I shall play the piano," Gutknecht said, making his way there.

"That would be lovely," Miss Doe nodded.

With that said, Gutknecht approached the Piano and sat down in front of this fine instrument.

"Oh my, I'm actually kind've nervous. It's been years."

Gutknecht was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Manx tap the baton. Gutknecht chuckled sheepishly, as Manx simply raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Taking a deep breath, Gutknecht cracked his wooden knuckles and proceeded to play a tune, as all the other instruments followed in suit to the melody.

For at that very moment, with the music playing in the background, a benevolent figure stepped down the west wing steps. Emerging from her room, Maria approached the doors garbed in a golden dress, complete with matching golden gloves. Just for this one occasion, her hair was piled on top of her head in a small, petite pony tail.

In suit, Frederick emerged down the East Wing steps. As beautiful as Maria looked this evening, Frederick looked rather handsome in his attire. Dressed in his blue tuxedo jacket with gold trimming, with the black boots in addition, Frederick had looked absolutely marvelous. He turns to Maria and smiles, the latter returning the smile as they got closer and closer together before stepping through the doors and into the ballroom. Everyone turned to face the two figures approach, looking in awe at the beautiful couple and the music builds up as they made their way to the center of the hall.

In the midst of their actions, as mood music for the lovely couple, Miss Doe quietly began to sing a beautiful melody.

Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly.

As Miss Doe sang her heart out, Frederick and Maria turned to see one another face-to-face. Frederick bowed to Maria, who in return curtsied to him. She in turn held his elbow in her grasp, as he escorted the fair beast closer and closer to the dance floor. All the other dancers formed a large circle of sorts, just big enough so it would seem they were dancing alone. For this was their enchanted evening as much as it was for the whole staff.

Just a little change
Small to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the Beast.

In one hand, Frederick held onto Maria's and with the other he wrapped it around her waist. Maria smiled in response, doing the same to Frederick. Such a huge moment this was for her, she practically gulped rather nervously. But still, Frederick's smile was enough to ensure her that all's well and held her safely in his arms. Then, slowly but surely, they began to dance inside of the large, empty circle as everyone silently watched the two figures dance with such grace.

Ever just the same
Ever a surprise

Soon, they were so confident with each other, they began to dance a little faster than before. For what started out as a simple dance between the two grew into a beautiful waltz. The servants looked on in wonderment, having never imagined a moment like this would take place.

Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise

Tale as old as time
Tune as old as song
Bittersweet and strange
Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong

But like all good things, this dance was coming to an end as the two proceeded to dance at a much slower pace. Just then, in the heap of the moment, Maria closed her eyes and leaned onto Frederick's chest, a smile on her face. Frederick was rather surprised at first, but he warmed up with a smile, as he leaned his head onto Maria's. The servants were rather speechless and didn't know how to respond to that. But perhaps in this case, the action itself spoke louder than words.

Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast.

Slowly and softly, Lumiere dimmed the candles and the room grew ever so darker. He turns to the couple and smiles, watching Maria and Frederick walk out of the dance hall holding each other's arms.

Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast

As soon as they stepped out of the room, the doors closing behind them, it was not long before every servant and resident in the kingdom cheered with great joy. For they knew that once the two were fully in love the curse would soon be lifted. Finally, if all goes as planned, they would finally be free. All they had to do now was wait… Wait for Frederick to propose to Maria, to make their love official.

High on the balcony, as they watched the stars in the sky, Maria had never felt as nervous than this. Never before had she felt so happy, as great as she felt she'd been dancing in Frederick's arms. For in those few blissful moments, she'd forgotten about everything else, even the curse. And oh, oh how she hoped that Frederick felt the same. But how could she know for sure? For she knew a man as handsome as Frederick no doubt deserved a more beautiful human maiden, like his bride-to-be. That's the kind of woman he deserved, not the hideous creature that Maria had become all these ten years. Still, she didn't want to ruin this moment, Maria just had to reach out… She had to try.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," She finally managed to say, striving for a light tone.

"You were expecting things not to go well?" Frederick asked, smiling at her.

"Well, sort of," Maria admitted, till she started babbling. "I mean, I haven't danced in years. I was utterly terrified I'd step on your foot, or something and you'd never be able to think about tonight without remembering that one little thing…"

"Maria," Frederick interrupted gently, giving her a sense of assurance. "Even if you had stepped on my foot, that certainly wouldn't have been the only thing I'd remember. For one thing… You look beautiful."

Maria would've felt happy in response to such a compliment, but she couldn't bear to hear that. Besides, she was absolutely certain he was merely just being his usual kind self. Surely Frederick did not mean those words, he couldn't have. Maria almost couldn't face him, as she looked away to face the night sky.

"Maria."

At the sound of his voice, Maria forced herself to turn back and face Frederick. It was just as Maria was nervous about. The look of true concern on his face made her heart race and yet such adrenaline felt exciting.

"Maria, is something bothering you? You've been acting strange ever since we came out here."

"Well…"

Now Maria just had to think fast. If she said 'nothing,' she knew he'd take her at her word and change the subject, regardless if he suspected that it was more than that. After all, Frederick was just that nice of a guy. But at the same time, she wanted so much to tell him how she truly felt and express her true feelings right then and there. And yet, for as much as she desired, she just couldn't quite pluck up the courage to do so.

"Are you... Happy here at the castle?" She finally blurted out. "With us… With me?"

"Yes, of course," Frederick replied.

He was rather surprised that Maria would ask such a question. Still, Maria saw a shadow pass over the features on his face. Quickly enough that anyone who didn't know him well would miss it. Maria saw it, however, and prepared herself for the worst.

"But…" she prompted when he didn't say anything.

"I worry about my parents," He admitted, followed by a sigh. "My mother has been getting sick, even when they left. I know the servants at home will take great care of her and I'm sure she's probably getting better. But sometimes, I wish I could at least see her, just to know that she's all right."

Frederick was lost in his thoughts about his mother, that all it took was one look at Maria's face to snap him out of it. Thinking that he just made Maria worried, he tried his best to smile and move on.

"I'm sorry, that was rather selfish of me. I shouldn't have brought that up, tonight of all nights. We should be having fun… That's all that matters right now.

"No, it's all right."

Maria wanted to add 'I know what it's like to miss your parents,' to show Frederick that she knows how it feels… But she didn't. Still, she felt bad since it was because of her that Frederick was deprived of his family. He talked about sounding selfish for bringing up the subject, but really Maria was selfish for her actions. So instead, she looked him right in the eye and told him:

"Come with me, I have something I want you to see."

Maria proceeded to lead Frederick up the stairs to her bedroom. Frederick initially hesitated on the doorstep, having remembered the last time he was in there. But, at Maria's nod, Frederick eased up and followed her until they were inside in front of a single table. There lay both the mirror and the enchanted rose, which remained as it stood when he first saw it. At this point, the rose was barely recognizable as more than a few dead petals were left attached to a stem. Maria ignored the rose; instead, she picked up the mirror.

"Here," She said, holding it out to Frederick. "Ask this mirror to show you anything, anything you desire, and it will."

"Really?" Frederick doubtedly asked, eyeing the mirror.

"Try it," She urged.

"Alright," Frederick gave in, looking back to the mirror. "Please, can I see my parents?"

In a brief flash of light, the Mirror shone bright with its magic glow causing him to blink rapidly just to adjust. As soon as he looked back, Maria watched his face turn pale in the misty light from the mirror. He gripped it hard in his hands, which nearly shook at what he saw before him.

"Oh no!"

"What is it?" Maria asked, though she felt she already knew.

"Mother… I can see her. She's very sick. Father's at her bedside, holding her hand…"

As if to emphasize his point, a voice issued from the mirror, echoing ever so slightly. His father's voice and he sounded very, very sad.

"If only Fred were here; he won't get to say goodbye."

Frederick forced himself to look away; the pain was unbearable for his eyes to see. As soon as his concentration was off, the mirror slowly turned dark. Maria gave him a moment or two to compose himself, leaving her to consider her choices. On one hand, she could keep Frederick here, regardless. After all, he made a promise to stay forever, and she knew him well enough to know that he would keep it. He would keep it, no matter how painful it was for him to watch his mother die from a distance. She had just days to get him to declare his love for her and time was running out. On the other hand, she could release him from his promise so that he could go home to his mother. She, Maria, would be left without hope, but at least Frederick would be with his parents again. Perhaps even nursing his mother back to health if he could. It had to be one or the other; there was no time to compromise. Maria knew what she wanted; she knew what she should do if she truly loved Frederick. Her heart told her which choice she had to make. Without looking at Frederick, she took a deep breath and makes her choice.

"Frederick, much as you've come to mean to me, your mother needs you more. Go home. I release you from your promise to stay here."

"What?" Frederick looked at her, startled.

"Go home. Take care of your mother. You should be there, with your family."

"But what about my promise; I could go home and come back when my mother… When she's better."

"No!" Maria said quickly.

She couldn't help a quick glance at the rose, a dead petal falls off the rose. She simply just turns away, but does not turn her gaze to Frederick.

"No, Frederick. You don't understand. If you left and came back, everything would be… Different. I can't explain, but it would be… No, it's better if you just go home and forget you were ever here."

"Forget you? Maria, that's awful. I could never forget about you. I'll go home to take care of my mother, but I'll be back. I promise!"

Frederick then turned to the door and hurried out of the room.

"No, Frederick, wait!" Maria called after him. clutching his arm before he reached the door.

Frederick turned back towards Maria, tears streaming down her face and for a moment they say nothing. But then, Maria took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with the other paw.

"Frederick… There's something else I need to show you."

Confused, Frederick looked skeptical at first, but judging by the expression on Maria's face, she insisted that he'd follow her. So Frederick allowed Maria to lead him to another section of the room, to a desk drawer with a broken mirror on top. She then opened one of the drawers, reached inside, and took out a small wooden box with strange carvings. She then flipped open the box and took out a small object wrapped in paper. Unwrapped, it was revealed to be a small glass vial with a red liquid clearly visible and covered with a cork.

"What is this?" Frederick asked.

"We've known what illness your mother had when she came to the castle. Manx and Cogsworth explained it to me some time ago… It was something that I had when I was much younger. They said that this vial contains a special medication, created by rare herbs that is guaranteed to remove the illness."

Frederick stuttered, "I…I-I don't know what to say…"

"I do," Maria said. "I'm sorry, Frederick. I should've told you about this sooner. But I was so scared and angry back then, it didn't matter to me at the time. Then, you came along, everyone was happier, you made me happy and… Your mother deserves better."

Maria then hands Frederick the vial, holding her arm out so he could take it from her paw.

"So here, take it… Take the vial and leave. Make sure she takes the whole vial in order for it to work, before it's too late.

"But how do I get home in time? The village is miles away from here."

"Go down to the stables and look for a black horse named Magic. It was a gift from my father when I was small, it's the fastest horse on the whole stable. Take the horse, and it'll get you wherever you need to go in a hurry. Remember: Magic, learn the name and you'll find the stable."

Frederick reached out toward Maria's paw and made to take the vial. Maria sighed and proceeded to turn away. But then, Frederick actually grabbed her paw with both hands and she felt herself pulled toward him. To her surprise, he kissed her from out of nowhere. She was stunned at first, but then she slowly closed her eyes and allowed Frederick to keep going. They then cut off after that, as Frederick held the vial close to his chest.

"I 'will' come back Maria; I never break my promises… Ever!"

Frederick didn't wait for Maria to respond, as he stormed out of the room. Maria silently reached out for Frederick, but he was already too far away. For a moment, she stood silent for a long time until his footsteps, echoing through the halls, slowly faded away. She turned her attention to the balcony, walking into the night air and stared out toward the castle grounds. She waited for Frederick to take off, as she attempted to hold another tear on her face.

Just then, Gutknecht entered the room with a look of concern on his face. "Maria?" He asked. "Whatever is the matter? Where's Frederick gone off to in such a hurry?"

For a moment, Maria said nothing to her old friend. Except one statement did escape her lips.

"… I let him go."

Gutknecht was initially taken aback from that straight-forward statement. He hardly expected Maria to say those words, the thought in generally initially surprised him.

"Now why on earth would you do a thing like that?"

"I… I had to, Gutknecht. His mother was very sick, near death; I had to let him see her. I did it because… Because…"

Maria struggled to explain her reason, but by then Gutknecht had the whole thing figured out. With a smile, he walked over to Maria and placed his hand on her shoulder, as she turned to face him.

"You love him."

Maria quietly nodded in response, that was all Gutknecht needed to know. No words were needed to explain just how Maria truly felt about Frederick. He felt it in his heart and he understood how tough it was for Maria to do what she did.

Gutknecht smiled, even as Maria looked with a sad expression. He held his hands out to Maria and she approached Gutknecht, as he wrapped his arms around her. He gave her a gentle, loving hug as Maria cried against his shoulder.

"Oh, my dear, I have never been more proud of you than I am right now."

"Proud?" Maria asked, staring up in confusion. "But… He's gone. You, me, our friends… We'll never be human again."

"That doesn't mean a thing to me. I don't care if I have to be a wooden statue for the rest of my life. You've made a great sacrifice for him, my dear, and that's all that matters."

"But still… Why does it still sound like we lost?"

Gutknecht allowed Maria to back off for a moment, he pats her shoulders as she turns back to the balcony to stare off into the night sky. Gutknecht proceeds to leave the room slowly. He stops at the door, however, and turns back to Maria.

"Shall I inform the others?"

"Please do, Gutknecht," Maria said. "But do be subtle about it. Just tell them… What they need to know."

"SHE DID WHAT?!"

Indeed, Gutknecht did his best to be subtle about the news. But unfortunately, the moment he gathered all the staff and made the announcement, they didn't take it well. So, he was forced to reiterate.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's true: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Frederick La'Belle will not be joining us for the rest of the night… Not for a long time."

"He's going away?" Katrina asked sadly.

"But he was so close!" Lumiere wailed.

"After all these years ,the Mistress finally learned to love," Miss Doe mourned.

"Well, that's it, right?" Babette asked. "Zat should break the spell, right? Right?"

"It's not enough," Manx answered. "He must love her in return…and ask for her hand in marriage."

"… Now it's too late," Cogsworth speaks, his head down.

As all the staff members were discussing their predicament, Katrina curiously made her way to the front door only turning back to make sure that no one saw her leaving. Quietly, she worked her way towards a back door out of the castle, where the stables were. Curiously, she looked around until she saw what appeared to be Frederick entering the stables.

As for Frederick, he was unaware that he was being watched as he entered the barn. He passed by several stalls, each with a fancy name for each of the horses and all of which were of different color. Until he came upon the last stall with the name "Magic" and peered towards the fine creature. It was a unique kind of horse, something that Frederick had never seen before: A purebred black Arabian mare with a long, black mane and tail with red highlights.

When the horse saw Frederick, initially it was startled to see him, considering this was the first time the two had met. But Frederick, being patient and loving, softly calmed the horse down and let it know that he was a friend. The horse eased it's tension towards the only human it had seen in a long time and allows Frederick to saddle onto the horse. As soon as they were out of the barn, Frederick rode off into the night and was surprised at how fast the horse ran as everything around him passed by in a blur.

A few minutes while this was going on, Maria watched as Frederick rode off in the distance and far from her castle, Magic carrying him off at great speeds. A tear slid down her cheek knowing that she may 'never' see Frederick again even if he did promise. She then closed her eyes, lifted her head, and gave out a sad wolf-like howl towards the sky. Frederick could hear the howling even at a great distance, but he could not look back not until he reached the village. He could only hope his mother was still alive to see him… Before it was too late.