And now, the moment you have waited eight months and forty-two chapters for- the ball! And I'm glad that you like Rose's dress, I had the idea that it would be a combination of Belle's gold dress and Adam's suit jacket before I wrote the story.

Will the ball be a triumph or a disaster? Read on and find out!

Elsewhere, in his room, Leon was dressed in an informal shirt and his brown trousers, was in the midst of picking out a suit with the help of Madame Armoire and the male objects, but they were at their wits' end as he rejected the tenth suit they had presented to him.

In spite of Lumiere's insistence that they wait for Katrine, as she had his proper outfit, the impatience of the wardrobe had won out and Leon had been hastily presented with a bundle of suits, while elegant and grand, were at least ten years out of fashion and what he would call 'foppish', something that he would not feel comfortable wearing.

Leon, in spite of feeling just as nervous as Rose was, was excited about the ball and dancing with her, his very best and dearest friend and love and it would just be the two of them, which made him smile, since it was the first one he had been to, even if he wasn't fond of dressing up in grand suits and being groomed and dolled up.

'Dearie, how about you wear this?' Madame Armoire said, picking up a faded purple velvet jacket with pink trimmings, big lacy frills and pink flowers and butterflies on it, which looked hideous beyond belief, 'It'll look ravishing on you!'

'Are you nuts, Madame?' said Chip, 'That is the most hideous jacket I've ever seen! Look at it; it's all girly and frilly! Rose will be laughing at him the whole night if he was to wear it! Do you want to embarrass him on purpose?'

'I beg your pardon?' Madame Armoire huffed.

'Not only that, it's seen better days,' said George, 'Leon can't wear that, it's too old and faded!'

'Do you have something a little less..foppish and frilly?' Leon said, being more polite about it than Chip and George were, but he screwed up his face at the jacket.

Not only did it look hideous and moth eaten, the colours and patterns were awful and he wondered if anyone actually wore it at all.

'That's about as foppish and frilly as you can get, Leon!' said Chip, 'and I don't really blame you, it's horrendous!'

'Well, you have to pick something, dearie, you can't just go to a ball in a plain shirt and trousers,' Madame Armoire said, 'Surely, there must be a suit that you like, it was the least I could get under short notice.'

'They're…' Leon faltered, trying not to hurt the wardrobe's feelings, 'lovely, but they're just not me. I don't see why I have to dress so formally for dinner and dancing, I never did before and I've never been one to fuss about what I wear.'

'But don't you want to go to the ball with the mistress?' said Lumiere.

'Oh, I do very much, but not in a pink and purple monstrosity masquerading as a formal jacket!' said Leon, to the amusement of Chip and Lumiere, who snickered quietly to each other.

'Can't say I don't blame you, monsieur, that jacket is an eyesore!' Lumiere replied, 'We should have waited for mademoiselle Katrine to come but she's been too busy with the mistress and we haven't got all night, you know!'

'Well, what are you going to wear, Leon?' said Chip, 'your peasant clothes?'

'It looks like I have to,' Leon said, 'unless Katrine has anything better than this monstrosity,' as he threw the awful purple jacket down on the bed.

'Is Leon ready yet?' Katrine said, from outside the room, 'Cogsworth is getting tetchy and the mistress is nearly ready, she's just putting on her dress.'

She then noticed the suits lying on the bed, wrinkled her nose at them and said,

'Oh, don't tell me that you got some suits for him already! I told you to wait for me, since I have his outfit, which is far better than those! He hated them, didn't he?'

'You're right there, Katrine, he rejected all of them,' Chip said.

'Then why didn't you call out to me?' Katrine replied.

'Well, dearie,' Madame Armoire said, 'you were taking too long and we got impatient, so we found some of the mistress's father's old suits.'

'You could have at least waited or called out to me, I wasn't far away you know,' said Katrine, 'Never mind, what's done is done and I'm glad that Leon has the sense not to choose any of those ghastly outfits!'

'Do you have something suitable for me, Katrine?' said Leon, 'Something that isn't too foppish or frilly or an eyesore?'

'Why, I believe I do, monsieur,' Katrine said, smiling, 'Just like I did for the mistress in making her the most beautiful ball gown which will take your breath away when you see it for the first time..'

'Get to the point, Kitty Kat,' said Remy. Katrine shot him a dirty look, then said,

'I have made you a very handsome and dashing suit that will make a simple village boy like you look like a prince, that we soon hope you will be. I hope that you like it as a lot of time, effort and my entire life savings went into it.'

She called out to a mannequin who hopped into the room and had on it, a gold velvet jacket with blue trimmings, buttons and an elaborate blue leaf pattern embroidered on either side of it.

Under the jacket was a light blue waistcoat, a silk white shirt with a cravat on it and on the bottom, were black silk trousers with gold patterns on the bottom and a pair of light brown boots were standing next to it.

It wasn't foppish or plain and the leaf patterns complimented the jacket nicely and Leon was glad to see the boots, since he had missed wearing them and looked in awe of the grand suit. It was truly elegant and grand, something that a prince would wear rather than a simple village boy, but he couldn't help but admire it.

'Wow,' all the objects said, in awe of the sight that stood before them.

'Oh, Katrine, it's beautiful!' Madame Armoire gushed, 'you clever girl, I can't believe you made this and sacrificed your life savings for it! The boy will look so dashing in it!'

'Thanks, Aunt Estelle,' Katrine said, then turned to Leon and said,

'Well, what do you think, Leon, do you like it?'

'It's wonderful, Katrine, thank you,' Leon said, as he kept looking at the suit. Perhaps it was a little too grand for him, but it certainly was far better than the suits that he rejected. 'I don't know what else to say.'

'Then don't say anything, put it on!' Katrine said, 'Speaking of which, I better go see how the mistress is doing, I can't wait to see her in the ball gown I made!' as she left only to..

'Little help?' as she yet again got stuck in the doorway. This time, she managed to get herself out before anyone else could and went down the hallway.

'Tell Rose that I'll be ready soon,' Leon called out to her, as he got dressed into the suit. He looked in the mirror and saw that the suit fitted him well and he didn't look at all foppish or ridiculous, like he would've been in that jacket.

He looked so dashing and handsome in it, it was unlike anything he had worn before and he almost looked like.. a prince and everyone clearly thought so at seeing him in the magnificent suit.

'Monsieur, you look sensational!' Lumiere said.

'Kid, you are looking fab-ul-ous!' Remy added.

'Oh, dearie, you simply look ravishing, suave and charming!' Madame Armoire gushed, 'like a real prince, that we soon hope you will be! Didn't Katrine do such a wonderful job on that suit? It's the best of your outfits!'

'Thank you,' said Leon, as he tied a gold ribbon in his hair and put on a blue stone brooch on his cravat, which Lumiere gave him, 'it is a wonderful suit. I'm just glad that I'm not wearing that purple and pink monstrosity that you tried to get me to wear!'

Everyone laughed at that comment and Madame Armoire grinned sheepishly, wondering what on earth possessed her to bring the jacket out, knowing that it wouldn't be well received.

'I wonder what Rose will be wearing tonight.' Leon then said, getting anxious to see her.

'You will be seeing her very soon, monsieur,' said Lumiere, as a knock on the door indicated Cogsworth's arrival.

'Your lady is ready and waiting for you, sir,' he said from the doorway and bowed to Leon.

'Knock her dead, kid,' said Remy, giving Leon a friendly nudge, 'metaphorically speaking, of course.'

'All the best for tonight, Leon,' Chip said. Leon smiled his thanks and adjusted his jacket sleeves and waited for the sound of Rose's footsteps to descend down the stairs.

'Have you got it on?' Katrine called out to Rose, when she came back into the room, the female objects eagerly waiting for her to come out.

'Almost,' Rose said.

'Well, hurry up; you can't keep Leon waiting any longer!' Katrine said, 'he's nearly ready and wait until you see him in his suit! You will be pleasantly surprised!'

'How did it go with Leon? Does he like the suit?' Rebecca asked.

'Yes, you wouldn't believe what Aunt Estelle was trying to do! She wanted him to wear these atrocious suits that were ten years out of fashion and what the master never wore! And they didn't have the sense to call out or wait for me!'

'Katrine, don't tell me that she pulled out the purple jacket with the frilly lace and pink flowers and butterflies on it and suggested to him that he wear it! That thing is an abomination!' Rebecca said.

'She did, but luckily I arrived in time to avert it,' said Katrine.

'Alright, I've got it on now,' said Rose as she stepped out of the changing curtain, wearing the beautiful blue dress, which in spite of her fears, fit her perfectly, embracing her curves rather than hiding them but wasn't too tight and the wide skirt with its petticoat and long sleeves hid her arms and tail.

Only her shoulders, face and paws were exposed and although it wasn't perfect, as Rose couldn't deny that she was a beast in human clothing, it made her feel like the princess that she had been, whom everyone in the kingdom had loved but she just wanted to be herself, just Rose, who Leon liked for her and not for her appearance.

And she felt that a part of her parents was in the dress as symbolised by the colours that resembled Adam's handsome dress jacket and the style of Belle's beautiful ball gown.

Rose looked in the mirror and actually liked what she saw rather than the loathing she had felt during the years. She looked and felt pretty for the first time, as the servants gasped and squealed at seeing how beautiful she looked in the dress.

'Rose, you look really pretty!' Sophie said.

'Do you really think so, Sophie?' said Rose, 'Is that your honest opinion?'

'Of course, silly, you look like a princess!' Sophie replied, as Rose smiled at her, 'and you are actually a princess and all of them are pretty!'

'Thanks, Sophie,' Rose said, picking her up and gently kissed her, which made her giggle.

'Oh, Mistress, you truly look beautiful!' Katrine said, 'It fits you perfectly!', while everyone continued gushing over her and the dress, showering her with compliments.

'C'est magnifique, Mistress,' said Babette.

'You look wonderful, dear,' Mrs Potts said, 'your mother would've loved to see you in your first proper ball gown, just like her beautiful gold dress and in the colours of your father's jacket. It truly brings out the princess in you.'

'Thank you, Nana, everyone,' Rose said, 'It really feels like Mama and Papa are with me and I really appreciate everything you have done. But I hope that after tonight, the spell will be broken and Leon and I can live happily together.'

'We hope so, dear, we know you really love him,' Mrs Potts said, 'Good luck,' just as Cogsworth came in the room.

'Ahem,' he said, 'your escort awaits you, Mistress.'

Clearing her throat and some last minute nerves, Rose, with a gentle nudge from Katrine, walked slowly and gracefully down the hallway, where she was met by Leon, led on by Lumiere, who gasped in delight at seeing her in the dress and chuckled mischievously at her, which earned him a hard stare from Babette.

Remy then wolf whistled at her before being burned by Lumiere and nudged angrily by George, who rolled his eyes at him.

'You look so lovely, Rose,' Leon said, bowing to her and smiled in awe at how beautiful she looked in her blue and gold dress.

'Thank you, Leon, you look so handsome in your suit,' said Rose, curtseying to him and smiling, glad that she had learnt to do it properly, so that her fangs didn't show as much and Leon smiled back at her.

'Well, shall we?' Rose said, offering her arm to Leon, as they walked to the top of the stairs where the servants were now gathering together at the bottom, eagerly waiting for them.

'Be my guest,' said Leon, imitating Lumiere, which made Rose giggle and she linked her arm into his, as they made their way down the stairs, looking at each other adoringly and careful not to trip over Sultan and Lila, as the two silly pets ran around on the stairs.

The servants looked at them, with Raymond, Amelie and Sophie leaning close to each other, as was Remy and Rebecca, although they soon hid it, not wanting anyone to know of their love yet and smiling, hardly believing that this loving couple were once bitter enemies and wanted nothing to do with each other, having seen their friendship and love blossom throughout the months.

'Mrs Potts, aren't you going to sing that lovely song now?' said Rebecca.

'Alright then, I've waited so long for this moment,' Mrs Potts said and with Chip snuggling up to her, she cleared her throat and sang, remembering Belle and Adam and seeing Rose and Leon in the same position,

Tale as old as time

True as it can be

Barely even friends

Then somebody bends

Unexpectedly

'That's so beautiful, Mrs Potts,' Rebecca said, shedding a tear, as the servants watched the couple go into the dining room, where a huge dinner was waiting for them.

Mrs Potts continued to sing,

Just a little change

Small to say the least

Rose and Leon then sat down to dinner, eating in comfortable silence, with the coat rack playing the violin and enjoying the grand feast that Rebecca and Chef Bouche had prepared.

For once Leon did not belch or show any ungentlemanly behaviour and Rose ate like a civilised lady, as she sipped her soup, careful not to spill any on her dress or crush the spoon with her iron grip. It had been brief, but a sizeable dent had been made in the food, which would have made Rebecca and Chef Bouche happy that their grand meal had not been rejected.

Then Leon got up from his chair and held Rose's paws, while she looked at him in confusion, as he lifted her from her chair and led her into the ballroom, with the chandelier and the rose candles were lit, illuminating the room, where Belle and Adam had stood to have their first dance and where Rose and Leon were to do so now as they stood in the middle of the room, feeling nervous about dancing together for the first time.

Both a little scared

Neither one prepared

Beauty and the Beast

'Dance with me?' Leon said, holding Rose's paws.

'Oh, no, I don't think I can,' Rose said, nervously.

'Dance with him!' the servants said, coming into the room and forming a circle around him, encouraging the two to dance, seeing the nervousness in Rose's face, as she started at Leon, like he knew what to do, when she didn't.

'Go on, Rose, it'll be fun,' Leon said, 'It won't matter if you trip over or stand on my feet, just let yourself go and follow me, even though my dancing is as good as yours, but we can learn by doing it as we go.'

'Well, okay, I'll try,' said Rose, uneasily, as she gulped and placed her paw in Leon's hand, as he held it and placed his other hand on her waist and started to waltz slowly, as if to give Rose her cue to follow him and start dancing.

Rose was still nervous as she began to dance, but Leon's smile assured her that she was doing well and she relaxed as they slowly but surely danced, with the servants watching on, smiling as some of them remembered her parents and looked up at their portrait, knowing they were watching their daughter in sprit, proudly looking on as she danced gracefully with her love,

Ever just the same

Ever a surprise

Ever as before

Ever just as sure

As the sun will rise

'Ah, yes, this is going splendidly,' said Cogsworth, 'I dare say, this ball may be even better that her parents' one! I only hope that no unforeseen circumstances will ensure that the boy will leave us, just like it did the last time.'

'Oh, Cogsworth, stop worrying and enjoy the ball!' Lumiere said, 'nothing bad is going to happen I swear. Look at how happy the mistress and the boy are and how beautifully they dance together! Nothing can tear them apart!'

'Don't they just look beautiful together?' Babette said to Lumiere, who had his arm wrapped around her, as they looked on, 'It's like we're seeing our dear Belle and Adam dance again for the first time and their outfits are so beautiful!'

'Oui, ma colombe, they do,' Lumiere said, 'This ball was a wonderful idea and we have mademoiselle Katrine to thank for that and the beautiful outfits she made for them.'

'Oh, Lumiere, you're making me blush!' Katrine said, giggling, while Sophie was snuggling up to her parents, as Amelie painted a portrait of the couple dancing together.

'What a lovely portrait, Amelie,' Raymond said.

'A beautiful portrait for a beautiful couple,' Amelie replied, snuggling up to Raymond and kissed him, which made him blush and Sophie screw up her face at their display of affection.

'Mama, Papa, that's gross!' she said.

'There's nothing gross about true love, darling,' said Raymond, 'it is indeed beautiful, as we are seeing it right in front of our eyes.'

As Rose and Leon danced across the floor, with the servants watching on silently and getting more confident as they went on under the watchful eye of the cherubs painted on the ceiling and the portrait of Belle and Adam, which Rose looked up to and smiled at.

I know you're here with me, Mama and Papa in spirit and in my dress. Look at how well I can dance and with my love! I can't wait for you to meet Leon when the spell is broken! She thought, as Mrs Potts sang,

Tale as old as time

Tune as old as song

Bittersweet and strange

Finding you can change

Learning you were wrong

Then, quite unexpectedly, Rose leaned her head on Leon's chest, closing her eyes as she heard his heartbeat and sighed happily. Leon was rather surprised that she would do that but he soon warmed up and returned her affections by leaning on her head and planting a soft kiss on it, to the delight of the servants, as they cheered encouragingly.

They never would have imagined such a thing would happen and all their hard work and efforts coming down to a beautiful moment between the two and a confession of their love would be the cherry on the cake.

But even more surprisingly, was when Lumiere nudged Cogsworth and noticed that Remy and Rebecca were sharing a waltz together, in spite of Remy's lack of arms and she leaned against him, smiling. Remy had the biggest grin on his face, looking down at his new-found love that he had pursued for so long,his grin saying, 'I finally have her!'

Everyone's mouths opened in disbelief at seeing the two dancing and snuggling, after hearing about Rebecca's dislike for him and turned to George and Katrine, like they would know about their new romance, but the washtub and mannequin shrugged and had a 'We know nothing!' look on their faces, pretending to deny it.

But the night wasn't about them, it was about Rose and Leon, as their dance slowed down, for the song was finishing and Mrs Potts sang the last lines, happy tears in her eyes, as Chip snuggled up to her and Lumiere signalled for the candles to be dimly lit,

Certain as the sun

Rising in the east

Tale as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast

The room soon got dark, as Rose and Leon finished their dance by nuzzling their noses and linking arms, as she led him towards the doors to go out onto the balcony, where she would muster the courage to tell Leon that she loved him with all her heart, hoping that he would say the same thing, as Mrs Potts and the servants watched them leave, as she sang,

Tale as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast

'Ah, splendid, Mrs Potts,' said Lumiere, once Rose and Leon had gone outside, 'that song sure brought back such wonderful memories.'

'It was so lovely to sing it again,' Mrs Potts said, 'and wasn't it a splendid evening? Did you see how happy the mistress and the boy were and how they danced so beautifully?'

'It certainly was,' Cogsworth said, 'One of the best balls this castle has had in years, with no stuffy nobles and disagreeable ladies and where the mistress could truly be herself. I only wish her parents were there to see it.'

'Now, all they have to do now is to confess their love and the spell will be broken,' said Chip, 'We can only wait and hope that it happens, the rose is down to its last petals now, from what I hear.'

'And who would have thought that we would see Remy and Rebecca dance together?' said Lumiere, 'George, mademoiselle Katrine, is there something that you are not telling us?'

'I know nothing, nothing at all!' said Katrine, 'This night isn't about them, you know, it's about the mistress and the boy, so it's just coincidental that they decided to dance at the same time, let's just leave it at that.'

'Sure, Katrine and maybe fish can play the piano,' said Chip, 'there is something between them, you know.' The conversation was cut short, when Sophie started yawning, as it was now late at night and way past her bedtime.

'Off to the art box with you, Sophie, it's past your bed time,' said Amelie as the little paint bottle gave another yawn, too tired to protest, as she hopped along, eagerly looking out to the doors hoping to get a glimpse of Rose and Leon, but it was too far away for her to see and fatigue was soon catching up to her.

'Good night, darling,' Amelie said, as she and Raymond kissed Sophie gently and she hopped out of the room, glancing at the doors one last time, before being whisked away by the servants, who took their cue to leave, chatting excitedly about how well the ball went and eagerly anticipating the moment when Rose would confess her love for Leon.

'Anytime, dear,' Mrs Potts whispered into the ballroom, 'I know you can do it, tell the boy that you love him. Don't make all our efforts to bring you two together be for nothing. There's not much time left before the last petal falls.'

With one last hopeful glance and the desire to be reunited with her dear Maurice, in her heart, she blew a kiss for luck towards the doors and hoped for the best.

Little does anyone know that this is merely the calm before the storm, for something bad is about to happen and it concerns Madeleine!

Reviews are your friends! Did you enjoy the ball? Let me know!