Belle found she wasn't breathing and quickly forced herself to start. Self-induced asphyxia wasn't going to help the situation, and neither was thinking words like "asphyxia". She was panicking. What was happening? Why was it happening? A few moments of frenzied thinking failed to produce answers so she concluded that she must be dreaming, please let it be dreaming, but she'd never had a dream this detailed, this real. She should have screamed herself awake by now but here she still was, gasping and shaking.

And there he was. She'd forgotten, in these two years. She'd forgotten the Beast. She hadn't noticed it happening because it had come on gradually, but time had softened the image. He hadn't been so big as all that, she'd started to think to herself. His teeth hadn't really been what you'd call fangs, his claws weren't that sharp. He'd just been... you know, furrier than average. But now he was there, so close, sitting bolt upright beside her, starting to shake.

And he was still her husband, still her prince, and something awful had happened to him.

"You're... you're bleeding," were her first words. She lifted up a corner of the sheet to wipe away the blood around his mouth, see how bad it was. She moved gently towards him, concern suppressing her own panic. It was as though her mind wouldn't let her think about what had happened, as though the shock had numbed her. All she saw in that moment were his eyes, his bright blue eyes... and the blood. All she wanted to do was stop the blood.

To her surprise, he flinched. "Don't," he said.

She withdrew her hand. "But you're hurt." She moved in again. "Just let me—"

He moved backwards to escape her, slipping awkwardly off the bed and upsetting the bedside table. Belle flinched at the crash.

"I don't want you to touch me," he said.

Belle stared at him for what seemed like forever. He couldn't meet her gaze.

Then, her voice suddenly thick with tears, she asked, "What happened?"

He glanced briefly at her face then, and it was that that finally did it for him. His beautiful wife, her face scrunched and red with tears, her body tensed in horror. He started for the door but someone knocked on it so he turned instead for the full-length windows that opened on to the balcony. A single blow from one of his horrible, mutated fists threw them open. He swung himself over the balcony and, without a moment's hesitation, he began to climb. He couldn't be near her.

Belle leapt out of bed and ran across the room but he was out of sight before she reached the balcony. Behind her, the door opened and Cosgworth, Lumière and Mrs Potts burst into the room.

"Forgive the intrusion, your majesties, but..." Cogsworth stopped, noting the overturned table and broken glass. They hurried over to Belle.

Lumière was the first to see Belle's face. "Cherie, what is it?"

Mrs Potts put her arms around her. "What's happened, dear?"

It was a few moments before Belle gained enough self control to make herself understood. "H-he's ch-changed back," she sobbed into Mrs Potts' shoulder. "I don't know how, but... but..."

The servants exchanged horrified glances. "What do you mean," Cogsworth asked, "changed back?"

Belle took a few gulps of air. "I don't know. I woke up and he... he was a Beast again."

"How is that possible?" Lumière demanded of no one in particular.

"Where is he now, dear?" Mrs Potts asked, gently.

Belle gestured. "Up there somewhere. He had blood on his face and I tried to wipe it off and he told me not to touch him and..." She started to cry again.

"Come back inside." Mrs Potts took her hand and started to lead her back towards the bed. "He'll be alright." She sat down on the edge of the bed, gesturing for Belle to join her.

Belle sat down. "I just don't understand why this... and he wouldn't let me touch him... all I wanted to do was to make sure he was alright..." She could feel her hands shaking.

Mrs Potts put an arm around her. "You didn't do anything wrong, love. Don't worry."

Lumière tapped Cogsworth on the arm. "I think we should step into the corridor for a moment."

Cogsworth nodded and the two of them left the room as respectfully as they could. They walked in silence as far as the staircase, where Cogsworth judged that they were out of hearing distance. He turned to his companion. He had intended to phrase the thing neatly, but in the end all the came out was a frenzied "What are we going to do?"

Lumière shrugged. "I do not see what we can do. Find the Master, I suppose." He sighed. "I do not see how this can be. The curse was broken. They love each other."

"Could he have been cursed again?"

"Without telling him how to break it?" Lumière shook his head. "If it was that Enchantress again, then she is evil. He does not deserve this."

"No one deserves th- Master?"

They had reached the foot of the stairs now and, crossing the entrance hall, Cogsworth's eye had been caught by the open ballroom door. Beyond it, silhouetted by the moonlight, was the Beast.

Cogsworth and Lumière broke into a run as they approached him. He looked at them briefly and they both recognised a sorrow in him that they had hoped never to see again.

"Master! Are you alright?" Lumière laid a cautious hand on his furry shoulder.

"Does it look like I'm alright?" There was no anger in the response. Lumière wished there had been.

"Master, I'm so sorry," said Cogsworth. "We'll sort this out. We'll do whatever it takes to get rid of the curse again."

The Beast shook his head, slowly. "There won't be any way out."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a punishment," he replied heavily. "I'm the only one who's been cursed. It's because I don't deserve her."

Just a short one this time but I hope you like it!