Readers, I think I'm going to change my update schedule again. Just take them as they come, as much as it kills me to tell you all, okay?

"My dress." Belle said when she looked in the basket, it was her blue dress that she always loved to wear. She gently took it out of the basket and just looked at it, but Belle wasn't sure if she still wanted to keep it. When Belle saw the barely noticeable patchwork, the memories of her attack started to flood back. When they did, Belle quickly threw her dress on Adam's bed and took a few steps backwards.

Belle was thinking that she had to do away with her blue dress, just like what she did with her black dress when she was first attacked. She walked back to her dress, but her eyes wandered back to the basket. She saw there was more in there besides her dress. She pulled out a large white shirt and black pants; she noticed that they were torn.

'Why would Adam have these?' she thought as she laid them out. Belle then noticed a small hole on the right side of the shirt. That's when she had another flashback, only this time she didn't see it, she heard it. She heard the roar and groans of pain among fading screaming. Hot tears started to flow out of her eyes when she came to her realization. "These...These are..."

"The clothes I wore when you set me free." Belle's eyes shrunk, that was Adam's voice she heard. She was afraid that he might be upset because she got into something.

"How...how long have you been watching me?" she asked, not turning around.

"Not long." He answered, Belle could hear him walking towards her. "I see you found your dress."

"Why do I have this feeling that you're going to scream at me any second now?" she said.

"You shouldn't," Adam said, Belle felt him grab her hand; she still didn't turn to face him. "the last time I got mad at you, you ran out of the castle because you got scared of me. I'm not going to do that again." It wasn't until Belle heard that did she finally feel safe to look at him, but when she looked down at his hand, she saw that it was black and a little bigger than it was before.

"You transformed again, didn't you?" she asked before completely turning around.

"My hand proves it, huh?"

"Yes, is there...anything else I should know before I turn around?" she asked.

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain." Adam answered, "It's better that you see for your own eyes before I try to explain it." Belle could hear in his voice that he was worried; she had to do whatever she could not show that she was startled or afraid. She took a deep breath and slowly turned around. When she saw Adam, she was more surprised than afraid or startled.

Adam was in his butterfly form; he was completely black with his colorful stripes, four arms and covered in small thin scales, but what surprised Belle were the few things added to his body. His hands were bigger and had black thick claws, a black tail was hiding among his wings and he had feet like a wolf and small curved horns behind his ears. Belle recognized those parts from when Adam was the Beast.

"My, my." Belle said, "There's...not much of a change."

"Belle, don't try to hide it." Adam said, "I know what you're thinking."

"Hmm, you've been hit with reality so many times, you're having a hard time accepting complements."

"I know; I can't help it." He said, "It's hard to believe the nice things when the ugly ones are right in your face."

"Well, I'm not going to try to argue with you about it." Belle said, "Did this happen...last night or...?"

"As a matter of fact, it did. My mother came and visited me when I was trying to get ready for bed; she made me put my blue robes because she was going to teach me how to use my magic. Both of us were surprised when I changed into my moth form."

"So...you were up all night learning your magic?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, "I couldn't help myself for sleeping in. I woke up about half an hour ago."

"Then...where were you when I came in?"

"Washroom, when I woke up, I saw I was in my butterfly form. I was hoping a bath might help me change back."

"I can see it didn't." Belle said, "I guess it was luck that I came in here without waking you up."

"Why did you come here?" Adam asked.

"Well...I was wondering if you were still sleeping or not, I saw you sleeping this morning and I didn't want to wake you up."

"I'm surprised that you're the only one that I met today. No one came into my room to wake me or anything else."

"That's because everyone's afraid to wake you up," she said, "they want to believe that you slept in because you've been getting up early these past few days."

"I should've know that they would think that." Adam said.

"Cogsworth once told me that he would rather wake a hibernating bear than wake you up." Belle said, Adam just laughed.

"Same old Cogsworth, he used the same phrase with me when I wanted to get my mother out of bed."

"Hmm, like mother, like son." She thought to herself.

"I suppose you would like your dress back." Adam said, taking Belle's blue dress off his bed.

"Well...I'm not sure." She said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I...I don't you'll understand if I explain it."

"We won't know until you speak up." Adam said, "You've...changed since I asked you to marry me."

"I...know I have," Belle sighed, "I probably sound like a child telling you how afraid I've been." Adam was very surprised to have heard that.

"Afraid?" he asked.

"Yes, I feel like I've been running for my life ever since you helped me out of my cottage." When Belle said that, Adam had a feeling he knew exactly who and what she was talking about.

"I knew he did more damage to you than what you've been telling me."

"I didn't want to sound like a child...especially around you. I tried to hold my fear back...so you can achieve your goals." Nothing could express how shocked Adam was to have heard that out of Belle's mouth. He gently grabbed her face and made her look at him.

"Belle...my goals don't mean anything if...you're not happy." That was when, for the first time Belle has been with Adam, he cried. "I...I would rather...lose my life and let you be free...rather than be a prince and you being so afraid."

"Adam...I would rather be your prisoner again...rather than be out in the open." She said, trying to fight the tears. "He...he attacked me twice and...he came so close both times. What happens if he finds me a third time...and he actually does it? I don't know what I would do with myself if he does." Hearing what Belle was fearing the most, Adam didn't know what to feel. He was both very angry, because of the possible thought, and upset, because he couldn't believe Belle would think that. He was trying hard to control his anger at the moment, but before he could hold it back, he ended up punching one of the beams that held the canopy on his bed and breaking it.

Belle saw the anger in his eyes and it really scared her, but she couldn't let the beam fall on either one of them. So she pushed Adam out of the way before the beam landed on either one of them, but when she did, Adam fell backwards and Belle landed on top of him. When she realized that she landed on top of Adam, her face was turning a bright pink. Adam noticed it, but seeing her blush reminded him of the woman she used to be.

"Adam," she said, trying to get off him, "I didn't mean to..." but before Belle could get herself off Adam, he opened his wings and closed them on her body. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Look," he said, "I understand this fear that you're going through. Don't forget...I was the result of my mother's attack, so I understand more than you may think. I...will not allow...that horrible monster to come twenty feet close to you! I promise you, my dear Belle, I will protect you with everything I have. I will not let that monster come after you! If he does, he'll be sorry." Belle didn't say anything, she didn't show it, but nothing could express how grateful and happy she was to hear that.

"Adam, will you let us up?" Belle asked, "I would feel more comfortable if we standing." Adam nodded his head 'yes' and opened his wings. Both of them got up off the floor, but when Adam saw the broken beam, he knew it had to be fixed. He picked up the beam and put his hands on the broken parts. Belle saw the sparkles coming off his hands as he held onto the broken beam tighter. When the sparkles vanished, Adam released the beam. Belle was very surprised because the beam was fixed; it looked like it was never broken. "Wow, Adam." She added, "You know more about magic than I do."

"You're not jealous, are you?" he asked.

"Absolutely not! I was just stating a fact."

"Well, don't worry, who knows? When you get to learn it, you might be better than me." Adam said, but then he looked over at Belle's blue dress on his bed. "So...you really don't want your dress back?"

"I'm...really not sure." She answered, also looking at her dress. "A part of me wants to get rid of it, because...well, we already know, but it holds some of the happy memories that I had with you."

"Same way I feel about those clothes." Adam said, looking at his torn clothes, "Despite the fact I was stabbed and almost died in front of you, I can't get rid of these...because, not only did I change back, we...also had our first kiss." Belle just smiled, both she and Adam knew how special that first kiss was to them. She looked over at the basket and saw Adam's red cape at the bottom of the basket.

"You know," she said, taking the red cape out of the basket. "I find you more handsome when you wear this." Belle threw the cape around Adam and held onto the neck collar. Adam could see the smile on her face, it was making him smile as he grabbed Belle by her waist, with all four of his arms, twirled her around a few times and kissed her.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Adam and Belle's eyes snapped open and they separated from each other. Both of them were worried that whoever was behind the door might see Adam in his sorcerer form. Before anything happened, Adam quickly ran into his closet to put his blue robes on. Belle just stood in front of the doors so that no one would try and get in. When Adam came out of the closet; wearing his robes, he changed back to his human form. Belle moved out of the way and Adam opened the door, there was Mrs. Potts standing there.

"Sire, thank heavens you're up!" she said.

"Is something wrong?" Adam asked.

"You just need to come downstairs now!" she said and then she turned and left. Adam looked at Belle, she nodded her head as both of them went downstairs. They were wondering what might be the problem.