The next morning, Belle woke up to the sound of a heartbeat. She opened her eyes slowly...and found herself lying on Adam's chest, but she no longer felt the plush fur he was originally covered in. Belle lifted herself and saw that Adam was back being a human, but...what she didn't see...were the long sleeves of her nightgown. Her eyes widen as she reached up to her shoulders, she didn't feel the nightgown. That's when she realized that...she wasn't wearing it...and about last night.

Belle looked around to find her nightgown, which was on the ground next to the left side of the bed. She reached out to grab it...until she fell out of the king-sized bed. Belle grabbed the blankets to soften the blow, but it didn't. All that did was pull the blankets over the side...and wake up Adam.

When Adam felt the blankets pulled off him, he jumped up. It startled him that the blankets were pulled off, he sat up, holding onto what was left of the blankets. When he did, he saw that his skin on his hand was no longer that light green color. He brought his hands back up, it was human skin once again. Just then, Adam heard someone groan. He looked over to the left side of the bed and saw that most of the blankets had fallen over. Adam peeked over the left side...and saw Belle staring back at him. When he saw the blankets covering her body, that's when he remembered about last night. Belle saw Adam turn bright red as he turned to look away from her. Nothing could express how embarrassed he was as he buried his head under one of the pillows.

Belle quickly put her nightgown and robe back on before Adam became even more embarrassed about what they did last night.

"You can come out now, Adam." Belle said touching his left hand.

"Are you sure?" he asked with the pillow still over his head.

"Absolutely!" she urged, Adam then finally pulled the pillow off his head, but his face was still a bright red.

"Did...that...really happen?" he asked, still not believing it. Belle gently held his hand in both of her hands.

"It did," she said, "it was going to come sooner or later. Well, I think I should head back to my room to change." Belle released Adam's hand and left to go to her room. Adam watched her until the bedroom door closed, he couldn't get his mind off about what happened last night. He didn't think that he...or Belle...would have in it in them to do that. Adam got up and tried to get dressed, he grabbed a dark forest green suit and dark blue pants and went into the bathroom to change.

Adam had just put on his green jacket until he heard a female voice.

"Who turned on the sun?" the female voice said, Adam just raised his head and shook it. He knew who that was, he opened the bathroom door and saw his sorceress mother, Lydia.

"So you're back." Adam said closing the door behind him. Lydia turned to look at her son, to her surprise, he was back in his human form.

"You're back to your old self?" Lydia asked.

"I'm always me, mother." Adam said, "I'm still me on the inside, no matter what my body has changed into." Lydia was a little surprised about what her son just told her, but she didn't let it show. Deep down inside, Lydia didn't want to accept the fact that her son was all grown-up and was in love with a woman. She didn't want her son to notice because...she didn't want him to know.

"Of course, son." Lydia said smiling, "Anyway, I brought something for you." She then pulled out a medium-sized box out of her robes and gave it to Adam. He opened it up and pulled out...what seemed to be...dark blue robes. "You could wear these everyday if you wanted, but you can wear these robes to try and control switching your human/sorcerer form and your true form."

"That you didn't want me to see." Adam added.

"I just didn't want you to scream or shout out in fear, that's all." she said, "Anyway back to what I was saying, these robes will also help you control any powers that you haven't gotten the hang of by yourself yet."

"Thank you, mother." he said smiling, "I really appreciate it. I'll try them out later, but right now, I need to go and help Belle and the servants do any last minute things we need to do before Sagittarius comes by tomorrow."

"I do understand, son." Lydia added, "I just wanted to make sure that you got this."

"I'll talk to you later, mama." Adam said, placing the robes on the bed. He then turned towards the door and left. When Lydia was sure that her son was gone, she looked back at his bed. She put the robes on his armchair and remove the blankets.

"Hmm, just I thought." Lydia said as she staring at the stained sheets, "My boy has taken the ultimate step of becoming a man...Well done, Adam, well done."

Adam went down the stairs and went towards Belle's room, wondering if he could take her down to breakfast, but it didn't take long until he ran into Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth.

"Master!" Cogsworth spoke up, "Are you feeling better? Are you going to be out of your room?"

"Cogsworth!" Mrs. Potts shouted as she grabbed his ears, pinching them, again. "The master had just gotten over a head cold and you decide to hound him?" When Adam saw Mrs. Potts do that, he didn't say anything. He put his hand over his mouth to refrain from laughing.

"I get the picture!" Cogsworth said in pain, "Let me go, Mrs. Potts!" Mrs. Potts released Cogsworth's ears, he had covered them with his hands. Adam would bounce from looking at Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth...at least, until Mrs. Potts spoke again.

"It is nice to see you feeling better, sire. Belle told us about that nasty head cold you caught, I made sure Cogsworth did not bother you during that time." When Adam heard that the head cold was Belle's idea, he decided to play along.

"I'm just glad its gone so that no one else can get it." Adam said, "Before I forget, is there anything else that needs to be done until...Sagittarius comes tomorrow?"

"Well..." Cogsworth started to say, but when Mrs. Potts gave him a cold stare, he quickly shut his mouth.

"No, sire," Mrs. Potts said, "we've taken care of everything. So if there's anything you think that needs to be done?"

"I...don't think so." Adam said after some thought, "I just need to figure out what to wear."

"Well, from what I remember, sire, " Mrs. Potts said, "Sagittarius liked anything you wore, even your regular white shirt and black pants, but if you want my opinion, I think you should wear...your red suit with your white pants."

"Red and white? Mrs. Potts, I don't think he'll accept that!" Cogsworth said.

"No," she said, "you don't think that you'll accept it. Sire, don't believe what Cogsworth's saying, he's been completely flustered these past few days."

"I have not!" Cogsworth urged, but Mrs. Potts gave him 'the stare' again. That just quickly shut him up and he didn't say anything else.

"Well, before I go down for breakfast, have you seen Belle yet?" Adam asked.

"Not me, sire." Cogsworth said.

"Well, I did," Mrs. Potts said, "but by the way she was dressed, it seemed like she got out of bed, but she was heading back to her room."

"Okay, well, I'm going to bring her down for breakfast." Adam said, "If she's in the mood for it. Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth." They just bowed their heads and Adam bowed his and walked past them. Adam thought that it was clever of Belle to say he had a head cold while he was transforming into his true form. He was just hoping that he can get through today...despite about what he and Belle did last night. Adam still couldn't get his mind off it, he guessed because...it was something he and Belle shouldn't have done until they got married.

"Sire!"

Adam snapped out of thoughts and saw Mrs. Potts coming back.

"Mrs. Potts, is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No sire," she said as she approached him, "but...I thought I would tell you...something that nobody had the chance to tell you." Adam raised his eyebrows in surprise. What was his servants keeping from him? "Adam...we all know that we're never going to forget that fateful Christmas night ten years ago...but...there is something I think you should know about that night." Adam's eyes widen because he was beginning to remember that Christmas; he turned his head away to try to push away the pain.

"Okay," Adam said calmly, he didn't want to remember that night, but he wanted the past to let go. "what might that be?"

"Well sire, remember the storybook you tossed? The one that you said..."

"I asked if you called it a present? Yes, as much as I rather not, I remember it. It was wrong of me to toss a present you and the other servants got me." Adam dropped his head in disappointment.

"Actually, sire...we didn't get it." Mrs. Potts said, Adam's head snapped back up.

"You didn't?" he asked.

"No sire, it belonged to Sagittarius." She said, Adam just didn't know what to say to that. "You see, Adam, he sent that storybook to us because...I don't know if you remember, but...it was the first storybook his mother read to him and...the first one that he read to you when the two of you were together." Adam raised his head, turned to the wall...and started beating his head against the wall. "Sire! You're going to hurt yourself!" Mrs. Potts quickly said as she tried to stop him.

"I deserve it!" Adam said, still hitting his head. "I've done so much pain to others!"

"Well, beating yourself isn't going to help!" Mrs. Potts said as she forced Adam to turn and face her. "It never will, but the best thing you can try and do...accept that it's in the past...and try to fix the relationship now rather than not at all." When Adam finally listened to Mrs. Potts, it reminded him about his talk with Tintement, Belle's cousin. Tintement had told him that it's best that he would try to repair his relationship with Sagittarius now, even though it's been twelve long years, rather than not at all. He was now told this by two people, he might as well try and use their advice.

"Mrs. Potts," Adam said, he took a deep breath and said, "thank you." Mrs. Potts just smiled and nodded her head.

"Might I suggest that you and Belle head down to breakfast before it gets cold?"

"Good idea, I might as well get her."

"No need." Mrs. Potts said as she pointed over behind him. Adam turned around to see Belle in a bright lavender dress with middle-length sleeves. Adam was really surprised.

"Belle? H-h-how long have you been...?"

"Not long," Belle said, "I was heading to breakfast and I heard your voice. You...going to come down and join us?"

"I was...just about to ask you the same thing." He said.

"Well, get down there before it gets cold!" Mrs. Potts urged, but before she left, she turned back to Adam. "Sire, if you're wondering whatever happened to it, it's in the library near the fireplace." Then she left.

"What is?" Belle asked, not knowing anything.

"You'll find out after breakfast." Adam said, holding his hand out. Belle gently grabbed it and they both went down to breakfast.

"Well, breakfast was good." Tintement said, finishing off her plate.

"You can say that again, Tintement." Maurice said putting his napkin on the table.

"How's your arm feeling?" Belle asked.

"Besides me wanting it out of this sling, it's getting better." Tintement said, badly wishing that the sling was off. Belle could tell that her cousin was getting tired of the sling.

"Maybe you can ask Mrs. Potts if you can take it off." Adam suggested, he could tell that Tintement liked that idea.

"I'm going to go find her now." she said as she got up from the table. Tintement was gone as her breakfast to find Mrs. Potts.

"You just made her day, Adam." Maurice said, "Well, I think I'll go into my workroom."

"You don't have to stay down there all the time, papa." Belle said.

"I know that," he said, "but I like doing my inventions and...I think you like the 'personal' time with your fiancee." Belle started turning bright pink and Adam was turning the same color too. Maurice just chuckled at the sight.

"You're turning the same color as your mother was whenever I caught her doing something she shouldn't have done." Maurice said, "It's none of my business about what the two of you are doing...as long it's not harming my daughter."

"D-d-don't worry about that." Adam tried to say, "I...make sure that nothing goes bad."

"Oh, I know that," Maurice said, "you know where I'll be." He got up from the table and went down to the workshop. Adam felt like he wanted to fall to the floor, he was so embarrassed, so was Belle.

"For a second," Belle said, trying to stop blushing, "I thought he was going to guess..."

"Belle!" Adam quickly said, "don't bring it up! We...can't let them know." Belle just nodded her head and zipped her mouth. Adam just took a deep breath and said, "Shall we...go to the library?"

"That...would be nice." Belle said as she smiled. Adam gently took her by the hand and led her to the library.

Once at the library, Adam gently closed the doors behind him.

"Adam," Belle said, "what was it that I would find out after breakfast?" Adam groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck, he was thinking why did he say that to her?

"Something that I've started to now regret." He said, "I'll never forgive myself."

"Adam, what's wrong?" Belle said as she watched him go over to the shelves of books near the fireplace. Adam took a deep breath and said;

"I just found out that the storybook I received...Christmas ten years ago...came from Sagittarius. Here I thought the servants got it and...I wanted to toss it." Belle could see the sadness and regret in Adam's face as he covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head.

"Oh Adam," Belle said as she tried to embrace him, "you've been...in sadness for so long, but...I'm here...and I'll do what I can to make you feel better." Adam removed his hand from his eyes and embraced Belle back, he was trying very hard to remove the sadness from his heart.

"Right now," he said, "I just want to try and find that storybook that he gave me. Mrs. Potts said that it's on one of the shelves near the fireplace."

"I'll help you...if you want." Belle said with her voice muffled by Adam's jacket.

"Well...I'm the only one who will recognize it," Adam said looking down at her, "but...I would...like to try and read it...with you."

"I would like that." Belle said as she went over to the couch. Adam went back to looking through the shelves, keeping his eyes open for the brown spine cover. When he finally did find it and pulled it off the shelf, he stared at it. The happy memories of him and Sagittarius started to come back to him, he just hoped that maybe...he can make up for lost time with him...and make the same happy memories...but with Belle.

"I found it." Adam said as he walked back to the couch.

"Lovely," Belle said, "Do...you want to hold it while I read it...or do you want me to?" Adam just smiled because an idea came to his head.

"You hold it, Belle." He said, handing the book to her. "I have something else to hold." Belle was a little confused.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Swing your legs over the arm of the couch." He said, Belle was more confused.

"You want me to do what?" She asked, making sure that she heard him correctly.

"Swing your legs over the arm of the couch." Adam replied, Belle did that, now with the book in her lap.

"Now what?" Belle asked, then she felt something go around her waist. She looked down and saw Adam's arms around her waist, she definitely wasn't expecting that. Belle then saw Adam's human feet next to her own. "Explains what you wanted to hold."

"I thought...maybe we take it...one step at a time." Adam said, Belle knew that Adam was still thinking about what they did last night. That was a very big step towards their upcoming 'husband and wife' relationship, he was right. They had to take it one step at a time.

"Okay," Belle said as she opened the book, "Chapter one, The Goose Girl."