"My...beautiful...Belle." Adam whispered to himself as he fluffed the pillow that Belle's was resting on. After telling the guards to get rid of Karlitis, Adam took Belle to his room. He wasn't going to let Belle, as vulnerable as she was, alone in her room. Before he did take Belle to his room, he told the guards to summon the castle doctor. When Aiglentina showed up, Adam was also a little surprised to see her, but when he found out her father was sick, he didn't push it and didn't say anything else in the matter. She told him that her ribs were broken, her jaw was swelling up and every part of her body had a bruise or cut of it. There was something else about her, but Adam didn't want to hear anymore so he sent Aiglentina to check on Sapphire. After she left, Adam just covered Belle with blankets on his bed and made sure she was comfortable. Adam didn't care that he gave Belle his king-sized bed, he wanted her to be comfortable and happy. After twenty minutes of being alone with Belle, Adam heard someone knocking on his door. "I don't want to be disturbed!" Adam loudly groaned.
"You don't want to see your aunt?" Adam heard, he recognized it as his aunt's voice. Like Sagittarius, Adam went to the door, opened it and saw his aunt standing there.
"What are you doing here, Aunt Henrietta? I would think you and the Comtesse would be in a shouting argument."
"We already had it." She answered, "I don't need another one. How's...Belle?"
"Come in, I'll explain it." Adam said as he opened the door wider. Henrietta walked inside and saw Belle lying very still.
"I saw your cousin and Sapphire. I also met your castle doctor, at least his daughter." Henrietta added.
"Aiglentina is actually better at being a doctor than her father, he's been getting older and...he needs a young pair of eyes to look over any illnesses." Adam said, "It's actually a good thing she checked on Belle and Sapphire, I would've been very uncomfortable about her father looking over her."
"Did...she say anything about Belle?" Henrietta asked, Adam closed his eyes and sighed as he nodded his head 'yes'.
"Aiglentina said that...her ribs are broken...from that idiot kicking her in the chest. He...hit her so hard in the head that he almost took her jaw off her face. Every bruise and cut on her body came from...that monster...doing who knows what...trying to destroy her body. Aiglentina also said it's lucky Belle's alive because her chest and stomach were soft, if they were hard and rough, it would've meant her organs inside were affected as well." Adam sighed again, "Since...you saw Aiglentina, you must've known what's going on with Sapphire."
"Yes, I just got some shocking news that Sagittarius didn't get a chance to hear." Henrietta said as she walked out to the balcony.
"Sapphire's dying?" Adam asked as he joined her.
"No...Sapphire's pregnant." She answered, Adam was a little surprised hearing that. "I'm not too surprised that she is, Sagittarius and Sapphire have been messing with each other since the beginning of the year." Adam took a deep breath to calm his racing heart.
"How far along is she?" he asked.
"Four months, give or take a month." Henrietta answered, "I'll be great-aunt in five months, but as I said, I'm not too surprised. Besides her being pregnant, Karlitis had done a lot of damage, enough that there's a chance Sapphire won't be able to see out of her left eye." Hearing that Sapphire might be blind in her left eye made Adam almost sick to his stomach.
"This is my fault...all I wanted was to be with Belle forever and...it almost cost her and Sapphire's life."
"Adam, it's not your fault!" Henrietta said, "If you want someone to blame...blame me."
"YOU? I can't blame you for someone else's crime!" Adam pushed.
"But it's my fault for bringing them here, I didn't want to, but I had to for the coronation! It's because of the stupid rules my father put down and I'm not allowed to change them!" Henrietta said as she stared out into the forest.
"You can't...but I can." Adam said, Henrietta turned around and looked at him. "There are rules that need to be changed and I can change them now." Henrietta just smiled.
"You sound...so much like your mother." She said, "I...don't know why...you had to come into this world the way you did, but...you were meant to be here...despite everything that happened with you and your mother."
"Well, I'm...glad grandma sent you away to her parents. I don't know what would've happened if you and Sagittarius weren't here." Adam said, Henrietta decided to hug her nephew.
"Don't worry, Adam. Everything will be fine, Belle and Sapphire will recover.
"I really hope so," Adam said, "I can't stand seeing her in this condition." He released his aunt and went back to Belle's side, who still hadn't moved. Henrietta followed him, she saw how attached he was to Belle. "Every time I see her...I think back to the time I first met her."
"When you were the Beast?" Henrietta asked, she saw his body tense up as he nodded his head 'yes'.
"I truly was a monster...I gave up hope that... the spell would break and I would be human again." Adam said, "I stopped caring about others and myself after I was cursed, I...closed off my heart...I didn't want it to be touched again. I already suffered a major heartache when mother was taken from me, I didn't want to suffer another one. When I met Belle, I was surprised that she was willing to take her father's place...I've never met someone so...unselfish."
"Is that when you decided to change?" Henrietta asked.
"No, not at first." He answered, "It wasn't until I saved her life did I give myself a chance to open my heart."
"It...must've been difficult for you to do such a thing, but...you're probably happy that you did."
"You're right, it was difficult, but I am happy to be with her." Adam said as he gently held Belle's left hand.
"Can I ask you something, Adam?" Henrietta asked, Adam nodded his head 'yes'. "If Belle is sleeping in your bed, where are you going to sleep?"
"I've got my armchair, I'll live." He answered, just then, he felt pain in his arm, the one that was holding Belle's hand. When Henrietta saw the look of pain on his nephew's face, she looked down and saw Belle's right hand on Adam's arm, scratching him deep into his skin. She also see that Belle's eyes were still closed and that she was also whimpering. Henrietta tried to help Adam by trying to open Belle's hands, but Belle was using all her strength not to release Adam. As for Adam, he couldn't believe the strength Belle still had left, but when he looked down and saw that her eyes were still closed, he was now thinking that Belle was suffering from another nightmare. "Belle, wake up!" He shouted, Henrietta saw Belle's eyes snap open. She groaned as she closed her eyes again and released Adam's arm and hand.
"Are you okay, Adam?" Henrietta asked as she saw the deep scratch marks in her nephew's arm.
"I will be." Adam answered as he looked at the scratch marks. "I'm glad she didn't draw blood." He looked back at Belle when she groaned again, she then slowly opened her eyes again. "Belle?" Adam said, she didn't move or anything, her eyes were almost fixated on the ceiling.
"Don't push her, Adam." Henrietta said, "She's probably acting this way because of what happened." Adam made a small groan as he looked back at Belle, who was still staring at the ceiling. "Well, I won't stay any longer." She added, "I need to tend to the guests and explain what's going to happen, hopefully...they won't be too disappointed after what happened." Adam looked back at his aunt and nodded his head, saying he understood. He went to the door and opened it for his aunt. After she left, Adam just closed the door. He can't help but think about what Belle and Sapphire went through.
"What did that monster do to them?" Adam whispered to himself as he rested his head on the door.
"Your highness." He heard, he turned around and saw Rouge's sister, Rosetta. "I didn't mean to impose."
"Hmm, you're the one who cursed my cousin." He basically said, Rosetta groaned as she slapped her hand over her eyes.
"It was an accident, I paid my mistake." She said, "You're the one my sister cursed, aren't you?"
"I am and I'm also her friend, Lydia's, son." When Rosetta heard that, her eyes grew big and wide.
"I'm surprised my sister hasn't been attacked by that friend of hers when she found out. Before I forget, there's something that I need to tell you."
"About what?" Adam asked, but Rosetta shook her head.
"Not in here, Belle doesn't need to hear about it."
"I'm not leaving her alone." Adam said in a serious tone.
"Well, we can be right outside the bedroom door." Rosetta suggested, "That way we can guard the door and make sure no one comes in."
"Very well then." Adam said as he opened the door. Rosetta walked out and Adam followed her and closed the door right behind him. The two of them stand in front of the door to make sure no one tried to get inside. "So what is it you need to tell me?"
"Well, it's actually something my sister should've told you, but...our stakeout had scared her very much, but this is something you need to know."
"What?" he asked, then Rosetta sighed and looked up and the ceiling.
"You know the man that's been stalking Belle?" She asked, when Adam heard that, he quickly put his hands over her mouth.
"Be careful about mentioning him!" He whispered; he then removed his hands off her mouth. "I'm sorry I did that, but you need very careful about talking about him!"
"Sorry." Rosetta said.
"What about him?" Adam asked.
"Our empress sent me and my big sister to keep an eye on him. My sister and I disguised ourselves as village women, my sister looked more like Belle than I did. We put hoods over our hair so no one would see it, when we walked inside a tavern, we saw him being treated like a god." She scoffed after saying that, "I just couldn't believe how women could treat a man like that. Anyway, as I was saying, my sister and I sat over at the counter and spoke to the owner of the tavern. It turns out that he and his, now dead, half-brother controlled all the money that the businesses need to keep running and...we also found out that...that village is the one where...your father is buried." When Adam heard that, he felt like his heart stopped and he stopped breathing.
"Certainly explains why they didn't like Belle." Adam said trying to calm his racing heart. "So...you and Rouge were there...what happened next?"
"Well, after talking to the owner...he walked over to where we were sitting and wondered who the owner was talking to. He pulled our hoods off and saw our hair and faces and shouted that I be kicked out."
"Why you?" He asked.
"Because my disguised hair was blond, not brunette, like my sister's disguised hair. He then looked at my sister...licked his lips and...tried to open her legs." Rosetta said, she could see the anger in Adam's eyes as he was ready to punch out the bedroom door. "We escaped before anything happened, we told Lady Temps what happened and we stayed home. Rouge didn't want to come out of the house until you called for her." She added; then Adam raised his hand and punched his bedroom door.
"So...he tried to force Rouge?" He asked, "He wanted to do that to Belle twice...and...I'm not going to let him be anywhere near her! I won't even let him see her! So...is that what you needed to tell me?"
"Yes, I don't know what had happened to him, but...if you want to know, you probably have to ask Lady Temps herself."
"You may want to check on Sapphire, since she's the one who broke your accidental spell." Adam added, "Not only is she beat up with the possibility of losing sight left eye, she's also carrying my cousin's kid." Rosetta nodded her head as she semi-puckered her lips.
"Good idea, but you may need to hear what else your nurse told you." Rosetta said, Adam just tilted his head in confusion. "I think there was something she was going to tell you about Belle, but you shooed her away."
"How did you know about that?" He asked, but Rosetta shook her head.
"If you're trying to get me to tell you, it's not going to work. You need to hear it from that nurse of yours." Rosetta said, but before Adam had the chance to say something, he heard groaning from the other side of the bedroom door. "By the sounds of things, you may want to get in there." Adam nodded his head as he opened the door. When he did, he was quite surprised because there were vines covered in ivy from his bed out to the balcony. He walked outside on the balcony and saw Belle, in her deer form with her torn nightgown. She was sitting on her back legs, her front hooves were on the ledge and she was staring at the sky. Adam didn't say anything at first because she was fixated at the night sky and mainly because he didn't want to accidentally sneak up on her, but he did see that the vines and ivy, that were from the bed, were coming out of her back.
"I know you're there, Adam." Belle said as she lowered her head.
"I didn't want to sneak up on you." Adam said as he walked up to her. "You really should be in bed, how did you get out here?"
"I was in too much pain to move, but I wasn't in the mood to stay in bed." She answered, "I transformed to see if I could move in this form, but I was still in pain, so...these vines grew out of my back and 'scooted' me across the floor. Before I forget, there's something on your mind, isn't there?"
"Yes, you not in bed." He pushed, but he saw Belle roll her eyes. He knew it was tough to get Belle to do something, but he really was thinking of her.
"Believe me, Adam, I do understand what you're feeling too, but I can't go to sleep." She sighed as she looked at him. "Nothing could express how scared I was when that machete was coming down on me. That man taunted us so badly, kept on calling us commoners and how we would poison the royal line by marry you and your cousin."
"I wish we had gotten there sooner." He said, "I couldn't believe the Comtesse went this far, I don't know what my aunt plans to do with her and her three older kids, but I don't want them in my house any longer than need be."
"Adam, don't try and forget about it, I heard what you and Rosetta were talking about." Adam couldn't believe that Belle had heard that, he believed that that wasn't meant for Belle's ears. "Poor Rouge, now they understand why I can't stand him."
"In a way, I hope Lady Temps doesn't show him mercy. He doesn't deserve it...especially after what he had done to you and Sapphire." Adam said, but since Belle heard that, he had to guess that Belle heard more than what she told him. "What else did you hear?"
"I knew that question was going to come, I might as well answer it. Well, I heard about Sapphire, losing sight in her left eye and being pregnant. I just can't believe it, Sapphire doesn't look like she's carrying a child. She's so skinny, but then again, she has been going to the powder room more often."
"You can say that again, she's so skinny she doesn't look pregnant."
"I also heard what that nurse of yours said about me while you were outside the room." Belle added, "I am actually very surprised that I didn't have anything wrong with my insides. I've read that if anything happened to those, it would be deadly to our lives."
"So...you heard what's wrong with you?" Adam asked.
"Yes...and...something else." Belle said, Adam just looked at her, waiting for her to say it.
"Aren't you going to say it?" He asked.
"I don't think you'll like it." She added, but Adam just stared into her face. Belle knew for a fact that the face he was giving her was his determination face and he wasn't going to get rid of it until she told him. "Look, Adam, I really haven't had the chance to comprehend it." She also added.
"Belle, please, open your mouth and say it!" Adam pushed, Belle just closed her eyes, turned her head and said,
"I'm pregnant too." Belle could only guess on how Adam would take that news after hearing about Sapphire. She just kept her eyes closed, she didn't want to see his reaction to it. She didn't hear him say anything, so she just guessed that he didn't like her answer. Just then, Belle felt a pair of hands grab her face. She opened her eyes in time to see Adam turning her head and kissed her on her deer lips. She also saw that he had transformed into his moth sorcerer form as well. Belle guessed that Adam didn't think it was bad news. He finally released his kiss and smiled at her.
"Did you hear how far you are?" he asked as he saw Belle's fur on her cheeks turn pink.
"No, she couldn't be sure, but I think I'm either a month or month and a half along." Belle answered, "I say that because...well...the timing matches up with the first time we...you know."
"I know." Adam said, still smiling. "I can't stop smiling, my dear."
"I can see that, I really believed that you wouldn't handle that news after what just happen not to long ago. I should've known that there was a very good chance I would be pregnant, my back has been bothering me, I've been nauseous in the morning and I want to eat salty and sugary foods." She added, "You're not...worried?"
"Why should I be?" he asked.
"Because...we aren't married yet, if this gets out that I'm pregnant, everyone will think it's not yours."
"Nanette and her kids got to you harder than I thought." Adam said, "Don't worry, this will be between us until after we're married. I promise you, Belle, I'll treat the three of us as a family!" Belle smiled as she tried to scoot closer to Adam, but he just walked a little closer to her. She slowly raised her arms and hugged Adam.
"I know you will, you don't have to prove it to me." Belle said, "I know you're trying to prove it to yourself because...of the parents you had...or have, but me...and our child...will be there for you as long you're there for us." Nothing could express the warmth Belle and Adam were feeling. The red and blue stripes on Adam's body were glowing and the black stripe turned white as blue, red and purple flowers bloomed on the vines entangled in Belle's antlers.
"I think it's time for you to go back to bed." Adam said, but Belle held him a touch tighter.
"Not yet, don't you realize that we're in the same position as we were when we had are first kiss?" She asked.
"You're right." He said, "I still remember that face you gave me when I told you I was myself, why did you give me that face?"
"Well, it wasn't because I didn't recognize you at first, it was because I've read stories that people can magically become completely different people."
"So you thought I was someone else?" Adam asked, "That's...somewhat understandable. I would have to read something like that to completely understand, but I can only guess what you saw as I transformed from the Beast to my human form."
"Beams of light coming our of your hands, feet and face as you changed back; there's your answer." She giggled, "I will admit that it was hard to believe that I was in my own magical fairy-tale, but I finally believed it when I had my first kiss." Adam couldn't help but continue hugging Belle, soon to be his bride and...the mother of his own child. Nothing could express how happy he was, for a long time, if he had ever broke the spell and had the chance to be a father, he promised himself and his mother that he would be nothing like his own father. Adam promised that he would treat his child as his child, not something he'll lash out at, he'll never be like his own father.
"Well, Belle, whether you like or not, I need to put you to bed." He said.
"I know, I won't argue with you this time." Belle said as she slowly stood up and changed back into her human form. She was in a lot of pain and Adam could see that, so he gently picked her up and carried her back to his bed.