Again, sorry for the wait! hands out cookies by means of apologizing

"Beast, you might want a napkin," Belle remarked as we finished lunch together two weeks later, a sort of habit we'd started after that first week. Grumbling, I reached for the napkin at my elbow.

"I don't see what's so funny about it," I muttered when Belle laughed. She shook her head.

"It's not that. It's your expression when I told you," explained Belle. I growled softly, slightly annoyed, but didn't say anything else.

Mrs. Potts came in, shaking her head over the state of Belle's clothes. Belle had spent most of the day outside again, having nothing better to do, and her hem was wet and muddy. The teapot led Belle out, muttering something about dry clothes. They passed the chair I still sat in, and Belle's hand briefly touched my paw. I half-expected her to cringe as she had several times before when she'd touched me, but instead she kept going.

A short while later, I stood with Cogsworth and Lumière on one of the many balconies in the castle. I needed to talk to them.

"That's good?" I asked Lumière. I'd been feeling…funny since Belle had touched my paw. It was worrying me and I'd explained it to Cogsworth and Lumière. I was surprised to hear Lumière and Cogsworth tell me it was perfectly fine.

"It's marvelous, sire!" Cogsworth assured me. I sighed and turned towards the forest. Belle made me feel…less like a monster as time went on, and more of a man. It seemed, after the initial shock of seeing me, she'd accepted the fact she was the prisoner of a Beast and didn't let my appearance bother her much. I wanted to give her something, sort of in return, but I had no idea what.

Cogsworth suggested trivial things, namely flowers, chocolate, and false promises. Lumière had silenced him, reminding him that Belle was a special sort of girl who deserved something just as special. My mind was an empty jar. I had no clue what I could give her. I was just as trapped in this enchanted castle as she was; my resources were limited, to say the least.

"Wait a minute!" Lumière whispered his idea to me. I gave him a skeptical look, but he assured me Belle would love it.

"If you say so," I consented, still skeptical. "Get someone on it right away. I want it perfect by tomorrow."

The next day, I waited anxiously for Belle near her room after breakfast. Lumière had gotten it ready, just like I'd asked, but I still wasn't sure if Belle would like it. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach as though I'd eaten them for breakfast.

Lumière stood next to me, shaking his head. "Relax, my prince. Rest assured the girl with love it."

"She had better."

Belle came out of her room, dressed in a pink gown I hadn't seen before. She noticed me and headed in my direction. The color brought out her natural beauty so…wonderfully I didn't know what to say. Lumière elbowed me. "Say something about the dress."

I looked at him helplessly. The dress was pink. What more was there to say?

"Compliment her!"

Oh. "What a nice dress," I managed awkwardly. Lumière muttered under his breath. I knew the compliment was a pathetic one at best, but it was the first thing that came to mind. I had never been good with words, and this situation wasn't helping.

Belle didn't seem to notice. "Thank you, Beast."

I looked at Lumière, who nodded. My anticipation at showing Belle her surprise suddenly made it hard to stand still. "Belle, I have something I want to show you, but first, you have to close your eyes." One eyebrow rose in a skeptical glance. "It's a surprise."

Belle obeyed and I carefully took her hands. "Don't run me into any walls," she warned.

"I won't."

Slowly, we maneuvered the stairs to the second floor where the library was. "Wait here," I said, opening the library door before leading her in. Lumière had seen to it that a fire awaited us in the grate.

Belle turned her head when her feet hit the marble floor. "May I open my eyes?"

I let go of her hands. "Not yet." As quickly as I could, I went around opening the curtains that had been closed for years. Belle turned at the slightest sound. Finally, I was ready for her to open her eyes. "Alright, now." Anxious, I held my breath. What if she didn't really like it?

Belle opened her eyes and for the first time since her arrival, she looked genuinely happy. "I've never seen so many books in my whole life!" she breathed, looking around. "It's wonderful!"

I looked at her. Belle was so beautiful when she smiled…her smile made me feel warm and…good inside. "You like it?" I asked impulsively. Belle nodded. "Then it's yours."

At those words, Belle turned away from the library and looked at me, really looked at me, as though she was just seeing me for the first time. "Really?" she asked. I nodded. "Oh, thank you Beast!" Belle turned back to the books, awestruck. "No one has ever done something like this for me…ever. I was always told to get my nose out of my books back home. 'It's not right for a woman to read' and all," she murmured.

That surprised me. "Why isn't it right for a woman to read?" I asked. All the women I knew, except for Babette, knew how to read. "If it's something you enjoy doing, what's wrong with it?"

Belle looked at me, smiling. "My point exactly." Her smile made my heart beat faster, if that were possible.

As Belle explored the library, I ducked out to talk to a waiting Lumière. "She loves it!" I whispered excitedly. Lumière smirked.

"See? I told you she would. Now, get back in there with her!"

I reentered the library to find Belle sitting on one of the overstuffed sofas with a tattered book in her hands. "I can't believe you had this! It's King Arthur, one of my favorites," she exclaimed when she saw me. "Did you ever read it?"

I shook my head. "I must have missed that one," I lied. I couldn't very well tell her that I hadn't so much as looked at a book since I was eight years old, not when she clearly loved reading. Belle smiled and settled down to read it when she looked back at me.

"I'll read it after you," she said, handing me the book. I shook my head and returned it to her.

"No, you read it." She shook her head and tried to give me the book.

This went on for a few seconds before I got frustrated. "No, Belle! I…can't…" I looked away, embarrassed. I also realized, my heart sinking, that this was something I wouldn't be able to share with her. If books gave her so much enjoyment…there was no way I could stay here. I'd just be a distraction to her here. For the first time, I wished that Mrs. Potts had forced me to keep up with my lessons as a child.

"You never learned how to read?" she asked, almost sympathetic.

I looked back at her. She sat there, studying me. "I did…but only a little, and long ago." I made to leave the library only to have her grab my paw. I stopped.

Amazingly, she said, "Well, you're in luck. This a perfect book to read aloud. Sit by me." She made room for me to fit on the sofa with her. I was pleasantly surprised. Belle actually wanted me to stay with her, to sit next to her. Delighted, I took the place next to Belle.

We spent the next hour or two together in the library. Belle's voice was so expressive as she read that the story seemed to come to life. I got caught up in the action-so much that at one point, I got excited and interrupted her in the middle of a passage to guess what happened next.. She just laughed and told me to wait and see.

I smiled a little self-consciously, embarrassed at getting so enraptured in a fairy tale but amazed that, for a short while, I'd forgotten where I was. "I never knew books could do that," I muttered softly. Belle turned to me.

"Do what?" she asked, curious.

I looked around at the library. "Take me away from this…place and make me forget who…" I studied my paw. Disgusted, I continued. "What I am."

Setting the book aside for a moment, Belle touched my arm. "That's something we have in common," she murmured. I looked at her in confusion. "Where I come from, everyone thinks I'm…odd."

I studied her face. She was beautiful-what were they thinking? "You? Odd?"

Belle nodded. "So, I know how it feels to be different, and I know how lonely that can be." We looked at each other for a minute, a sort of…connection, an understanding, having been created between us. Belle turned back to the book. "On the third try, Arthur drew forth the sword, and there arose from the crowd a great cry. 'Arthur is king!'" I looked at her in triumph.

"Told you so." Belle smiled and continued reading.

I was so enraptured that I jumped when she closed the book a short time later. "What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

Belle shook her head. "That's it for today. We can't read it all in one day," she explained, laughing at my crestfallen expression. "I'll read some more another day."

Disappointed, I stood up. "You probably want to explore the library a bit more," I said, trying to hide my regret. Belle nodded eagerly. I looked away and turned towards the door. My paw was on the handle when she called out.

"This place is so big…I'd like it if you'd explore with me." I turned back.

"I can't read," I reminded her. "There wouldn't be much of a point."

Belle laughed. "Of course there is. It's nice to have someone with you when you're exploring something," she explained. "Please."

I took my paw of the door handle and went back to her. The rest of that day passed with her exclaiming over finding favorite books and my laughter when she accidentally tripped over some she'd dropped. I hadn't genuinely laughed in years, and the sound brought Mrs. Potts running to check on us.

Finally, Mrs. Potts came in to scold. "You two have been at it all day," she teased, looking between us. "It's nearly ten o'clock, and neither of you have eaten dinner yet. Are you going to let it get cold or will you eat?"

Belle laughed. "Could you perhaps bring it up here, Mrs. Potts?"

"Cogsworth might have a fit, but of course I can, dearie. Master?" I nodded slightly and Mrs. Potts went off.

Belle looked around the library. "This is the best birthday gift I could have ever gotten."

I stopped. "Today's your birthday?" I asked. Had Lumière known? Had anyone known?

She nodded. "I didn't tell anyone. Everyone here is so nice that I didn't want to worry them about something like my birthday. Knowing Lumière, he'd have organized another show like the one the castle gave when I first got here." I nodded. He would have.

Belle looked at me with a slight smile and headed for the sofa. I followed, thinking. I was amazed how much could change within a few weeks. She had gone from hating the sight of and not wanting anything to do with me to asking me to stay and explore the library with her. Maybe…I shook my head. No. It's impossible.

I left after dinner, heading for my wing. I needed peace and quiet to think, and I wasn't going to get with all the servants whispering and gossiping every time I turned my back. The episode with the library had gotten around quickly.

Ignoring the wilting rose, I took the mirror. "Show me Belle."

Belle's face appeared, smiling. Madame stood behind her, sharing a knowing look with Mrs. Potts.

"I never thought I say this, but you were right, Madame. The Beast really isn't that bad, now that I've gotten to know him," she was saying. "He reminds me of the prince in my favorite book, the one in disguise."

The image faded back to clear glass. If Belle only knew how close to the truth she was…

Splat!

I looked up, startled by the cold, wet sensation of the snowball hitting my tail. "What was that?" I demanded, looking over at the smiling Belle.

"A snowball, silly." I shook the snow from my tail and glared at her. No one had ever thrown a snowball at me before. A month or so had passed after I'd given her the library. We'd eventually gotten over our mutual wariness and spent most of our time together, either in the library or outside.

"Why throw it at me?"

"Because Cogsworth isn't out here," she quipped, smirking. The humor in her voice made me smile in spite of myself. It occurred to me that her snowball throwing meant she was treating me like a normal person, a true friend. I returned the smirk and gathered up a huge ball of snow to throw at her. She ducked and made her own, hitting me first and knocking my snowball out of my paws and on the ground. Another followed that one, surprise forcing me on my tail. This was so stupid and absurd, yet it was incredibly…FUN, something lacking from my life.

Growling playfully, I stood. "I think I like you better reading," I muttered, waiting for a reaction.

Belle just laughed. "And I think I like you better when you're brooding," she retorted, hands on her hips. We stared at each other before I chuckled, starting a bout of uncontrollable laughter in both of us.

I heard someone tapping on the window above me, metal on glass. I looked up and saw Lumière making furious "come back inside" motions with his sconces. Belle followed my gaze and laughed. "I think he wants us inside," she said. I nodded and together we went in.

Mrs. Potts trotted over. "You two will catch your deaths of cold at this rate. Come inside and warm up. I've got more soup for you two."

Inwardly, I wondered what Mrs. Potts' fascination with soup was. Every time we came in from outside, she had two bowls of soup waiting for us. Belle glanced at me, telling me that she was wondering the same thing, and sat down at the table. I joined her and, as we always did now, we lifted our bowls in a toast.