The cool evening breeze tickled Leon's cheeks, as he led Rose out onto the balcony; his arm firmly linked into hers and found a stone bench to sit down on.

Being the gentleman that he was, he let her sit down first, her skirt fanning out on the ground as she did so, before sitting down himself, putting his hand in her paw, stroking it as they leaned against each other, staring into the clear sky with the stars twinkling like diamonds.

For Rose, it was now the time to confess her love to Leon, as she looked at him, the moonlight illuminating that handsome, kind and gentle face and beautiful brown eyes, that always seemed dreamy and lost in his own thoughts, which made her smile and look so lovingly at him.

The boy who she once hated and imprisoned him, separated from his mother and who she treated very badly, acting beastly to him, who she now loved with all her heart and she hoped he would feel the same and all she needed to do was to summon the courage she had inside and tell him how she felt about it.

You can do this, she said to herself; just tell him when the time is right. You know that he loves you just as much as you love him.

She was grateful that the servants had thought to stay inside, since she had wanted to be outside, her and Leon only, so they could declare their love in private rather than having eager enchanted objects surrounding them, cheering loudly.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, reflecting on the wonderful evening that they had and seeing the excitement of the servants as they danced together and were amazed that they managed to do it so well, Leon especially since he had never danced before, but as was in his nature to teach himself everything, it came naturally to him.

Rose proved that she was not limited by her beastly body, dancing so beautifully like she had done years ago and having many admiring eyes on her as she danced with her father on his toes, being too small to reach up to him and everyone thinking it was cute.

'Isn't it a beautiful night out?' Rose said, 'the sky is clear and the stars are shining like diamonds, like they're shining down on us. It really is a breath-taking sight, a perfect end to a perfect evening.'

It will be when you tell me you love me, she thought.

'It really is,' said Leon, 'it was such a wonderful ball, the servants sure put a lot of hard work and effort into preparing it and Katrine did such a wonderful job on our outfits. Your dress really looks beautiful on you and the colours suit you perfectly. The roses are lovely too,' as he fingered the one on her bodice, feeling the smooth gold silk.

'Thank you, Leon and you look so handsome in your grand suit. The gold compliments your hair well and I really love the blue leaf patterns,' Rose replied, running her paw gently down the leaves,

'Do you feel strange wearing an elegant suit for a ball like tonight? I can imagine that you would be most comfortable in your vest, shirt, trousers and boots instead of dressing up so nice for me.'

'You know me so well, my sweet beast, but I have to admit that it is a beautiful suit. It could've been far worse; Madame Armoire tried to get me to wear a truly horrendous pink and purple jacket decorated with lacy frills and pink flowers and butterflies!'

'She didn't!' Rose laughed, remembering said jacket which her father abhorred and for some fun, Belle would bring in out to torture him with it, to the snickers of the servants at seeing Adam react to the jacket he hated and wanted it destroyed, only for Madame Armoire to keep it for laughs.

Both of them laughed, snuggling up to each other, like naughty children and holding on to each other as they struggled to compose themselves, at the thought of Leon ACTUALLY wearing that horrible jacket, which sent them into more giggles, before calming down and sat in a comfortable silence again, looking at the stars.

'I have to say that this has to be one of the best nights of my life,' Leon said, after a while, which made Rose raise her eyebrow at him. He said that this was the one of his best nights?

Rose thought that this was her best night ever, dancing with her love with no stuffy nobles watching, ladies picking her up and giving her unwanted hugs and feeling sick after eating too much rich food and recovering from a near-fatal illness and throwing up on an unfortunate noble lady.

'I don't usually like balls and dances and dressing up and didn't go to the spring dance in the village and if I did, I would spend the time reading rather than dancing with the girls, since they wouldn't ask me to dance.' Leon said.

'But being with you, Rose and seeing how beautifully you dance, was truly a wonderful moment. Thank you for a wonderful night and everything you have done for me.

You and the servants have become my true friends and have made me very welcome and I have to say I fitted in better in a castle full of enchanted objects and a beast than I ever did in the village.'

'Thank you, Rose, for being the bestest friend ever,' he said and nuzzled his nose against her, their special sign of their friendship (and soon to be a romantic and loving relationship), never tiring of it.

'Thank you, Leon, you're a wonderful, kind, sweet and understanding friend to me,' Rose said, leaning against him, while he stroked her hair and planted a soft kiss on her head, before plucking a flower from a nearby bush and tucked it behind her ear.

Now's your chance, she thought, tell him, but don't sound desperate, you don't want to scare him off again.

'Leon,' Rose said, nervously twiddling her paws, 'are you..happy here with me and in the castle with us?'

'Oh, Rose, of course I am,' Leon said, 'and to think that I hated it here at first, since I was so miserable being separated from my mother and you didn't help the cause by being cruel and heartless and had treated me very badly.

But this is my home now,' he said, as he felt a pang of sadness at saying the last sentence, for there was something that had bothering him for a while now.

Although he had never told Rose this, for fear that she would take it the wrong way; he had been feeling pangs of sadness and guilt about his mother and was missing her. She had no idea what was happening to him, nor did he know that she wasn't in the village, instead trekking in the forest in a desperate attempt to rescue him.

He had been having so much fun with Rose that he had never once stopped to think about Madeleine and how lonely she must be, not knowing Leon's fate in the castle, although it had been on his mind for some time.

The mere thought of it made his face turn from a smile to a frown and turn away from Rose. She quickly picked up that something was bothering him, but he couldn't tell her, he didn't want to spoil the evening, but it was a nagging thought that wouldn't go away.

'Leon, what's the matter?' she asked, noticing his grim expression, 'Is something bothering you?'

'Nothing, Rose, I don't want to trouble you and spoil this beautiful evening but… Oh, I shouldn't tell you this, you may take it the wrong way.' Leon said, but Rose wasn't buying it. She knew Leon well enough that something was troubling him and thought it would be better for him to let it go.

'Leon, you can tell me anything, you know that,' Rose said, which was what Madeleine would always say to him and that made his heart ache even more. Looking into her beautiful blue doe-shaped eyes, which were warm, loving and showing concern for him, Leon sighed and said,

'It's just that, I miss my mother. I know I haven't said much or even thought about her since she left the castle, as I have been having so much fun with you but I just want to see her again and if she's alright back at the cottage.

She has no idea about what has happened to me in the castle and for all she knows, I'm still locked up in the dungeon instead of living in the lap of luxury and befriending the beast that imprisoned her. Even though I know that she made it back to the village, I just wish I could see her again, I miss her so much. If only there was a way that I can do that.'

Rose then felt a familiar pang of guilt about the woman she had cruelly treated, thrown into the dungeon when she wanted shelter and separated her from her son, the only family she had left and she was the reason for it.

She had wanted to say, 'I know what it's like to miss your parents,' but she didn't nor did she get the chance to confess her love for this boy, but from the worried and distressed look on Leon's face, it was not a good time.

'There is a way that you can see her,' Rose said, getting up from the bench and taking his hand. Leon held it firmly, as she helped him off the bench and led him back into the ballroom and through the foyer, past the servants who were hanging around with eager looks on their faces, yet were confused as to why Rose and Leon were heading towards the West Wing.

By now, they should have declared their love yet they knew better not to question their mistress. Maybe she would be telling him in the warmth of her room rather than the cold of outside but Mrs Potts had the uneasy feeling she had been having throughout the day and that it seemed to be coming true, not that the others knew yet.

Cogsworth and Katrine, curious about what was going on, decided to follow them, partly to congratulate her on a successful ball and partly to find out if she was indeed going to declare her love to the boy and wanted to be the first to find out.

The room was immaculate, all the animal bones and smashed porcelain had been cleared away off the floor and the ragdolls had been sewn together and displayed on some shelves, with one resting on the bed and new bedding, furniture and curtains had been placed as well.

It was easy to walk around without wading in debris, as Rose and Leon walked towards the table with the rose, now down to its last five petals and she wordlessly picked up the mirror that had been lying next to the bell jar.

Leon hadn't seen it the first time he had been here and he looked at it, decorated with green vines and pink roses and wondered why Rose would show it to him and wasn't certain that it could let him see his mother.

'A mirror,' he said, trying to be tactful, 'how will this let me see my mother?'

'It's no ordinary mirror,' Rose said, 'It is a magic mirror. It allows you to see anything that you desire. All you have to do is say, 'Show me..' whatever it is you want to see and it'll show you, trust me, it does work.

If you don't believe me, I can tell you magic does indeed exist, look at me, the servants and the castle, we're living, breathing proof of it. Go on, try it, if you want to see your mother,' Rose said, placing the mirror gently in his hands.

'Well, okay,' said Leon, seeing the truth and sincerity in Rose's face, knowing that she would never lie to him and that he could trust her. Lifting the mirror up, he peered into it, seeing his reflection and said,

'Show me my mother,'

True to Rose's word, the mirror obeyed him, flashing a brilliant green as the image of Madeleine appeared. Leon gasped at seeing her, for she was not back at the cottage, but walking alone in the forest, without a horse and fighting a losing battle against the elements, as the cold wind whipped fiercely against her flimsy cape.

She coughed violently, her skin turning a frightening shade of blue, having already been weakened by her illness from her time in the dungeon, as she desperately battled through the terrible weather to rescue her son.

'Mama!' Leon screamed at the mirror, hoping that she would hear him only she couldn't, as she walked on the best she could but a healthy, strong woman like her was soon no match for the fierce weather and she succumbed to it as she collapsed on the ground.

'MAMA!' Leon screamed again, unable to believe the scene that was presented to him in the mirror and was having the urge to reach out or jump right in the mirror to save her but the image soon disappeared and he saw only a blank mirror, as he stared at it in horror at having seen his mother lying motionless in the forest.

'Leon, what is it?' Rose said, concerned, 'What's happened?'

'Mama..was in the forest walking in a dreadful blizzard. She's sick and lying on the ground and could be dying and here I am, unable to help her!' Leon wailed, 'If I don't get to her soon, she may be..' he gulped, not wanting to think the worst.

Rose put her paws on the bell jar, around the wilting rose and looked at the distress, anguish and worry on Leon's face as she thought about the situation and was about to make the hardest decision of her life.

She was in the same position as her father was, when he let her mother go to rescue her grandfather, who had been in the same state as Madeleine was, which made her feel even more guilty about her and that she was keeping Leon here in the castle, preventing him from going to her side, that she had caused all this.

She knew that deep down, if she really loved Leon, which she did, she had to let him go to his mother, because he would have never forgiven her otherwise, even though she would be resigning herself to her fate right there but it didn't matter at this point.

As much as she wanted him to stay with her, like he promised to, she knew she had to do the right thing, even if it meant that the spell would never be broken, that she would be a beast forever, that she would never see her parents and grandfather again and the servants would be household objects for the rest of their lives and that she had blown their last chance to be free.

Like Katrine would always say, if you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours; if they don't, they never were, she thought, hoping it was the former rather than the latter and she knew that her handmaid was right, so she took a breath and said,

'You must go to her, but not in your suit, you don't want to catch cold yourself, so that you would be no use to your mother. Go get changed into your clothes, get some food from the kitchen, pack your bag, mount your horse and..find your mother.' Rose said, the resignation and sadness she was feeling evident in her speech.

'You're actually letting me go, Rose?' Leon said, surprised and shocked that she was actually giving him permission to go find his mother.

'Yes, Leon, I'm releasing you, you're no longer my prisoner. You haven't been for a long time.' Rose said.

'I'm..free?' said Leon in disbelief, although the last sentence was true. He hadn't felt like a prisoner, like he had been when he first came and he couldn't believe that Rose was letting him go to find his mother. She understood how much she meant to him and had been feeling guilty about sending her away from him.

'You are,' Rose replied, 'as much as you've come to mean to me, Leon, I've been keeping you here for my own selfish reasons and it's because of me that she's in this terrible situation. Please, go to her, she needs you now.'

And I need you too, Leon, she thought, I love you with all my heart and I want you to stay with me.

She tugged at her dress, cursing it for not working and wanting to tear it off, reducing all of Katrine's hard work, effort and what her entire life savings went into, which she had never spent and never would get back and a piece of her parents to shreds. It was supposed to make Leon fall in love with her, not send him away, but she couldn't.

She stopped herself, when Leon then said,

'Oh, thank you, Rose, thank you so much for understanding how much she means to me,' as he put his hand on her cheek and stroked it. Then, he pulled her into a hug, wanting to treasure their last few seconds together, holding each other close, not wanting to let go, but at the same time, they knew they had to.

As he held on to her, Rose felt her heart breaking into pieces, as Leon rubbed her back soothingly and they nuzzled their noses for the last time.

'Rose,' he said, when they broke apart, 'I WILL come back to you, I promise. This isn't goodbye, you know. It's only until Mama is well and alright again, then I'll come back.'

'Oh, Leon, you don't have to do that, I couldn't ask that of you,' Rose said.

'I never make a promise I don't intend to keep, you saw that for yourself, when I promised to stay with you forever, but I guess I have to break it now, don't I?' he said, hugging her for the last time and planted another soft kiss on her head, before turning towards the door only to realise that he was still holding the mirror and he ought to give it back to Rose, since it was hers.

'Rose, your mirror,' he said, pushing it towards her, but she pushed it back into his hands.

'No, Leon, you keep it,' she said, 'so you can have something to remember me, I have no use for it anymore. Now, go to your mother,'

'Thank you, Rose for everything,' Leon said, 'Hold on, Mama, I'm coming,' as he finally left the room, leaving Rose to slump in defeat and sadness in front of the rose, clutching Rebby and looking sadly at the wretched flower, her best night of her life, the magnificent ball ending in heartbreak, for Leon was now leaving her to rescue his mother, possibly forever.

Unaware of what had just happened, as Leon quickly passed them by, Cogsworth and Katrine entered the room, carefully and eager to talk to Rose about the evening and how well it had gone and if Rose had actually confessed her love for Leon, not taking notice of her miserable expression, as she sat and stared into space.

'Well, Your Highness, what a splendid evening we've just had,' Cogsworth said, 'You and the boy danced so beautifully and we've all enjoyed ourselves for the first time in ten years.

I always knew you had it in you and your parents would have been so proud of you and delighted to have seen you in your very own ball gown, hosting your first ball, and did you see Remy and Rebecca dancing together?

It's very odd, since she had hated him, but seeing them as a couple, really boggles the mind. Speaking of which, did you confess your love to the boy..'

'Cogsworth,' Katrine interrupted him, noticing Rose, which stopped the clock mid-sentence and he frowned at seeing the mistress so miserable on such a happy occasion, which was very unusual and walked quietly over to her.

'Mistress, is something wrong?' Katrine said, her voice full of concern and worry, 'Where was Leon off to in such a hurry? Did you have an argument? Wasn't he nice to you?'

'No Katrine, it's not that ,he's..left the castle,' said Rose, sadly, 'and I let him go.'

'Yes, that's splendid…WHAT?!' both Cogsworth and Katrine said at the same time, aghast, realising what Rose had just said and had found out the reason why she had been so miserable.

'You actually let him go? Don't you realise that you are not going to break the spell? That you are condemning us to be household objects for the rest of our lives?!' Cogsworth said, getting worked up, as shown by the movement of the hands on his face.

'Why did you do it, Mistress?' Katrine said, gently.

'I had to, because…I love him, of course and I had to set him free. His mother was in danger and I let him go to save her, even if it means that I'll be a beast forever. He would have never forgiven me if I didn't and I wouldn't have forgiven myself, since I caused all this.' Rose said.

'Oh, Mistress, that was such a bold and selfless thing you have done,' said Katrine, 'I don't care if I have to remain a mannequin for the rest of my life, it was the right thing to do.'

Rose suddenly flung her arms around the mannequin, weeping quietly and feeling guilty that everyone's hard work and hopes had been shattered, like Rose's heart at the moment.

'It's alright, Mistress, I'm sure that he'll come back to you,' she whispered gently, as she comforted the distraught beast, heartbroken about losing her beloved.

'Oh dear, it's Belle and Adam all over again,' said Cogsworth, also distraught about the fate that he had managed to avoid the first time, was now catching up to them again, as he remembered being with Adam, as he had let Belle go to rescue Maurice and it was happening again.

'What do we tell the others, Mistress?' he then said, 'all their hopes are about to be smashed into a thousand pieces. I can't bear seeing their dismay and disappointment about history repeating itself. Should I even tell them the truth or lie to protect their feelings?'

'You should, Uncle Cogsworth, it's no use lying to them,' Rose said, 'but please break it to them gently.'

'SHE DID WHAT?!' the servants screeched at hearing what Cogsworth and Katrine had just told them in total disbelief and dismay and they had anticipated that the news would not be well received.

'Surely, it can't be true, Katrine!' Amelie said, 'it's nothing more than a cruel joke!'

'Yes, I'm afraid it is,' Katrine said, 'Due to circumstances beyond our control, Leon Dupont will not be returning to the castle any time soon.'

'He's going away?' Sophie said, sadly.

'But this surely can't happen!' Babette said, 'History can't repeat itself, the mistress was really falling for the boy and she didn't even declare her love for him! Just like her parents..'

'Babs, will you PLEASE SHUT UP about the past! Stop referring to her parents, this isn't like the first enchantment,' Remy said, 'and if I hear you say 'just like her parents did' one more time, I will scream at the top of my lungs!'

'Which you do anyway,' muttered Babette, 'and yes, this is LIKE the LAST TIME, in case you haven't noticed, you idiot and how would you know? You weren't even there for it!'

'Well, I'm here for this one, Babs,' said Remy, sarcastically.

'And after all this time, the mistress has relearnt how to love,' Mrs Potts said.

'But that surely must be enough to break the spell, isn't it?' said Rebecca, 'She really loves him, does she not?'

'I'm afraid not, mademoiselle Rebecca,' Lumiere said, sadly as he looked at the ragdoll's hopeful expression, which was about to be crushed with what he was about to tell her and everyone, 'you see..'

'He has to love her in return,' Katrine said, to the murmurs of disbelief, 'it's what Irena told her the day of the enchantment and she said and I quote..' as she cleared her throat and did what she believed was a good impression of the enchantress,

'If you can fall in love with another and earn his love in return, the spell will be broken. If you can't, then I'm afraid that you will remain a beast forever.'

Katrine wasn't the best mimic, but it sent shockwaves around the servants. The curse was never going to be broken, they would never see Belle, Adam and Maurice in the flesh again, and they would be a sad and lonely soul, trapped in a motionless household object forever.

Worst of all, Rose would never be with her love again and would now lose her humanity completely, stop wearing clothes and walking and talking like a human and go live in the woods, not taking into consideration that Rose had let Leon go out of her own free will.

'And now, it's too late, for all of us,' Cogsworth said, while the others seemed resigned to their fates, cursing the boy, their last hope, for leaving them and the mistress for picking the rose that condemned them to their awful plight and blowing their last chance to be free.

All their efforts to bring them together and the ball they had planned and had gone so well had been in vain, confirming Mrs Potts' worst fears.

Too caught up in their misery and defeat, they hadn't noticed that Sophie had quietly slipped out of the room, as she hopped up the stairs hoping to find Leon and to find out for herself why he was leaving them and Rose with a broken heart.

Reviews are your friends, sorry for the angst in this after the happiness in the previous chapter!