He was shivering by the time they reached the inn that Channing had decided upon. He slid from the horse's back and looked up at the decrepit building with slight disgust. It looked so fragile that a good enough knock would send the thing crumbling to the ground. When he saw the warm glow of lanterns which creaked as the light breeze caught them, he turned his back on the establishment. He would have lied had anyone asked if and why he was shaking.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Channing said jovially. The boy gave him a look of mistrust but followed the man in, practically clinging to the auburn coat Channing wore. "Go sit by the fire, boy. Go warm up."

He left the man's side with slight hesitation but stayed back from the fireplace. The flowers sitting next to the hearth on a little stool made his throat tighten, for they looked dry and sparks danced at the edge of the fireplace. He pictured a flame jumping to the flowers, making them catch. The patrons would leap to their feet and rush away from the scene while the innkeeper would run to put it out. Being clumsy, he would knock it and the vase would hit the ground so the fire would spread across the floor and engulf them all. The women would scream and sob as the ceiling began to-

"What's the matter?" Channing's voice made him jump and scurry back. His escort frowned and knelt to reassure the boy. When he placed his hands on the child's shoulders, the poor thing jumped. "You're as white as a ghost!"

"I-I'm sorry," he whimpered, lowering his head in shame. He flinched a little when Channing gently lifted his chin.

"You don't have to be scared. Come, we'll go to the room."

Belle tossed and turned in bed, trying not to wake Adam with her restless shifting. Her ability to sleep had been lacking for the past week or two and staying in bed never seemed to help.

Giving up, she forced herself to leave the warmth of her comfortable bed and light a candle. Briefly, she watched it and felt disappointment hit her when it didn't move. It occurred to her that she shouldn't still be feeling like that almost a year after her friends had become human again. Brushing that aside, she picked up the candle stick and left the room.

Her wandering led her to the kitchen where the faint light spilled out into the dark hall. She stepped inside and found Lumière bent over the table. Her soft footsteps weren't quiet enough to avoid disrupting him. He looked up from what Belle could now see was a letter. He stood.

"Madame, it's late, what are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep. You can continue with what you were doing, I didn't mean to bother you."

"I was finished," he said, carefully putting out his candle and moving it aside. He began gathering up his papers. "Is there anything you need?"

"Someone to talk to?" Belle replied hopefully. She smiled in thanks when Lumière pulled out a chair for her. He moved away to light the stove with the intention of getting something warm for her to drink. He leaned back when the fire was started and double checked the old stove's flimsy door to make sure it wouldn't unlatch.

"Bad dreams, mon amie?" He asked casually, returning to the table. He leaned his elbows on the back of a chair and watched the flickering flame of her candle.

"No I just... couldn't seem to fall asleep. It's hard getting used to being bigger than I was before." She smiled and rested a dainty hand on her belly which in turn made Lumière grin.

"Ah, but it will be worth it! Mrs. Potts complained of the same thing when she was having Chip. And look how that turned out!"

He looked up from the candle to wink at her while she laughed. He stepped away to tend to the warming water. She focused on his every movement as he leaned back away from the fire while checking on the water. His shoulders were pulled in and he was almost turned away from the pot. He moved gracefully to the cupboard and searched it. He only returned to the table when the tea was poured and fire was out. He put the steaming cup before her with a smile.

"Merci!" she giggled a little. She had always found it so delightfully refreshing when their stiff, formal behaviour was tempered with playfulness. They were her friends as much as they were her staff. She reached across the table and took his hands. They seemed to burn into her frigid fingers. When he didn't pull away, she smiled up at him and spoke. "What about you? Will you ever have children?"

Something seemed to wither and die in his expression and suddenly he lacked the will to meet her eyes. His shoulders pulled back and he shifted his weight a few times before finally gathering the courage to pull his hands from hers. He cleared his throat. Tugged at the collar of his night shirt. Shifted. His nerves got the best of him.

"Non. I don't think I'll ever be a father… Not by choice, at least, madame," he whispered. His behaviour scared her. "My, where has the time gone? Cogsworth will have me up first thing in the morning! You should get to bed too, Belle."

When it became clear to her that he was waiting for her to move, she stood and carefully picked up the waning candle. The dull light caught Lumière's eyes which, as she had begun to expect, were focused on the dying flame. He moved stiffly to pick up his papers and unlit candle.

"I didn't mean to upset you…" Belle began hesitantly. She could see his smile, but even in the near darkness she could tell it was brittle. Even though she knew he was human, and humans all had emotions which changed as often as the fashions of Paris, she found that seeing him without his smile left her stomach in knots. It just wasn't right.

The sound of their shuffling feet was loud in the silent hallway, the shadows jumping at them as their lightsource burned away. She could feel his presence at her shoulder, but she didn't dare turn her head to look at him. Instead, she kept silent with her eyes on the floor until they reached the doors to her room.

The door creaked open when he pushed on them and in the darkness they could see the prince shifting in his sleep. Belle snuffed her candle, nodded to Lumière, and stepped inside. She could hear his footsteps tapping on the stone as he walked away.