𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐒𝐀𝐓 in silence for ten minutes before she actually acknowledged his presence beside her on the balcony. Celine took a deep breath, but her chest quivered as she exhaled. He gave her a concerned look, but it was clear she wasn't ready to face what they'd just learned. At least he didn't think she was.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry..."

He took her hands in his and lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You haven't done anything wrong, quite the opposite in fact."

"But the curse—"

"Was cast by your mother," Adam interrupted, quickly adding, "and it was my father that made the decree that started the witch hunts. We are not our parents. We cannot change the past. All we can do is look to the future."

His voice was calming and provided the comfort she needed. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him in a tender hug. "When did you become so wise?"

He chuckled under his breath, hiding the warmth creeping into his face. "I suppose you have that effect on people."

Celine smiled, taking her seat back on the balcony. "You dance well."

"It's been years," he sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd almost forgotten the feeling."

"I'd have never known," Celine replied with a playful smile. "On the other hand, this was my first dance."

"How'd you learn?" Adam asked, pleasantly surprised. "You dance like a professional."

"My father taught me," Celine replied, slowly realizing that with her past revealed, she was suddenly able to remember things that had previously been hidden. A reminiscent smile pleasantly rested on her face. "I used to step on his toes a lot."

"You must miss him..."

Celine looked toward the ground before meeting Adam's gaze. "It's hard to miss someone you can't remember, but now... yes, I miss him."

A comfortable silence followed. Adam gently tugged at the cravat around his neck. He'd realized that a better opportunity might never present itself and if he waited just a second longer, he might never get to tell her how he felt. He could do this. Bold. Daring.

"It's foolish, I suppose, for a creature like me to hope..." He paused as she looked at him curiously. He gulped, quickly losing courage. "...that one day he might earn your affection."

A surprised look crossed her face and a light blush painted her cheeks as she looked out toward the horizon. "I don't know."

"Really?" Hope surged in his chest. "Celine... are you happy here with me?"

Celine slowly nodded her head. "I... I think I feel at home here more than anywhere else in the world, but..."

"But what?" Adam asked with concern.

"My mother," Celine answered. "I'd have no way of knowing if she were alright if I were to just up and leave for good. But I know if I were to return home... I'd never be permitted to leave."

Adam looked pensive before his eyes lit up as if he'd reached a solution. "I might just have an idea."

He took her hand and led her toward the west wing. She was hesitant to enter at first, but once she understood that he had invited her into his private space, she followed. A few months ago, he never imagined that he'd be welcoming someone into such a place of vulnerability, but now he couldn't imagine sharing it with anyone else.

He paused beside the table with the rose that symbolized the curse's deadline and lifted the crystalline mirror resting on the surface of the table beside it, another gift from the enchantress. "This mirror will show you anything, anything you wish to see."

Celine seemed skeptical, but she accepted the mirror, looking it over as if searching for a face like the other staff members cursed as objects had. Adam hid his smile by covering his mouth with his hand. She also spoke a bit louder as if it couldn't hear her. "I'd like to see my mother, please."

Green sparks flashed around the surface of the mirror as the magic within began to answer the request; however, Celine released a cry of pain and dropped the mirror as she fell to the ground, clutching her hands close to her chest.

"Celine!" Adam rushed to her side, catching her before she collided with the ground.

Her face twisted with pain and she whimpered as her hands shook. Gently, Adam pulled her cream gloves down from her arms and removed them from her hands. His eyes widened in horror as he watched her veins glow a fluorescent green that only continued to spread up her arms. It was evident they were the source of her pain.

She weakly opened her eyes, now sharing a similar expression as she noticed her glowing veins. "What's happening to me?"

Adam's anxiety only grew as he slowly connected the dots. "The curse..."

"What?"

"The curse," Adam repeated. "When your mother cast the curse, it affected you too. The castle is killing you."

"What?" She repeated her question incredulously.

"You—you need to leave," Adam was slowly becoming consumed by his own thoughts that were focused on her well-being.

"No," Celine shook her head, wincing at the sudden movement as she tried to pull herself back to her feet. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Adam's voice was firm.

"Adam, we don't know for sure," Celine insisted, watching as he grew more erratic. "We don't have a lot of information to work with here."

"And we can't take that risk," he snapped. He turned his back, pacing before stiffening, refusing to face her. "I want you to leave."

She didn't believe what she was hearing, not after everything he'd just said before. "What? Adam, didn't you hear me? If I leave, I can't come back."

"Get out." His voice was dangerously low and unnervingly quiet. "This was a mistake. Leave."

Her fingers inched toward the mirror, slipping it into the folds of her dress. If she could just convince him to be reasonable, she could figure everything else out later. "Adam—"

He whirled around. There was fear in his eyes, but they hardened before she could say anything else. "Leave and never return."

Her breathing grew shallow. He'd never looked at her the way he did now, not even after she'd nearly touched the rose. There was a hidden pain concealed in his eyes, but his wrath looked as if it might break free any second. She slowly backed away, realizing that the creature she'd considered a man was embracing the beast.

The way he looked at her broke her heart. She recognized the disdain as one and the same as when they first met and he'd mistaken her for her mother. It was then she realized the appearance of unexplained magic had scared him. In the beast's eyes, she was suddenly equal to her mother: another tool of gift to cause him pain.

She continued to back away, turning to run as she left the room. She closed her eyes to conceal the tears that threatened to escape. Perhaps she was the foolish one to keep offering second chances.

The second she was gone, the beast deflated. He mentally chastised himself, but truly believed he'd done what was best, even if she might never understand.

Cogsworth had the worst timing when it came to moments like this. He entered the room, a sly chuckle escaping his lips. "Well, your highness, I have had my doubts, but everything is moving like clockwork. True love really does win the day!"

The beast shook his head, a look of despair reflected in his eyes as he faced the clock. "She's gone."

"Ha ha ha, yes. Splend—" Cogsworth froze. "She's what? How could you let her go?"

The beast turned his gaze toward the balcony of his room. "I had to."

Cogsworth remained incredulous. "Yes, but why?"

He didn't hesitate. "Because, I love her."

Cogsworth stumbled over several syllables, but was unable to actually form words. Defeated, he left the room without another word.

The beast's heart ached. He didn't regret letting her go, but pushing her away hurt, even though he knew that was the only way he'd get her to leave. Without thinking, he allowed the torment of his soul to burst free in an agonizing howl.

"I was the one who had it all." He stepped out onto the balcony and watched as the cream dress disappeared into the woods. "I was the master of my fate."

"I never needed anybody in my life." He knew she wouldn't be coming back, and what little hope he had left was quenched. "I learned the truth too late."

"I'll never shake away the pain. I close my eyes but she's still there." He ran his hands through his man, his fingers trying to tear the hair free from his head to release his building frustration. "I let her steal into my melancholy heart. It's more than I can bear."

"Now I know she'll never leave me. Even as she runs away." Lumiere had been right. She'd been the one, but he'd let her slip through his fingers. Perhaps that was the cruelty of the curse, that it couldn't actually be broken. He'd lost hope long ago and then she'd entered his life. It was cruel, but she wouldn't trade his time with her for the world. "She will still torment me, calm me, hurt me. Move me, come what may."

"Wasting in my lonely tower. Waiting by an open door." Memories began to play across his mind and a small, but sad smile graced his lips. "I'll fool myself she'll walk right in. And be with me for evermore."

———— 𖥸 ————

𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄, Celine kept her face buried within Phillipe's mane. Belle had allowed her to borrow the horse whenever she wished to go for a ride, usually unaware of the true reason, that night excluded. Although Belle didn't approve of her actions, she wasn't one to stand in her way either. Now, Celine wished that she had. Her heart cried out as the tears streamed down her face.

"Look into his angel eyes, one look and you're hypnotized. He'll take your heart and you must pay the price. Look into his angel eyes, you'll think you're in paradise. And one day you'll find out he wears a disguise. Don't look too deep into those angel eyes. Oh no, no, no, no!"

She'd been played. Again. It seemed that the beast truly had just wanted her assistance in learning about the curse. Once he'd received his answers and learned about her own past, his true feelings had apparently come to light.

"Sometimes when I'm lonely I sit and think about him. And it hurts to remember all the good times. When I thought I could never live without him. And I wonder does it have to be the same? Every time when I see him, will it bring back all the pain? Ah-ha-ha, how can I forget that name?"

But did she really want to forget? No, not really. The memories hurt, but she didn't want to bury them the way her mother had buried the memories of her father. She didn't want her heart to harden, only opening up to a few. She knew it would be hard to keep her walls from building back up, but the least she could do was try.

"Look into his angel eyes, one look and you're hypnotized. He'll take your heart and you must pay the price. Look into his angel eyes, you'll think you're in paradise. And one day you'll find out he wears a disguise. Don't look too deep into his angel eyes."

Was it time to move on then? Run away from the village and travel the world? No, not just yet. She couldn't run away from her problems any more. It was time to face the music and confront her mother on everything she had learned. Like everything else she'd contemplated, this decision wouldn't be any easier, but it had to be done.

"Crazy 'bout his angel eyes, angel eyes. He took my heart and now I pay the price. Look into his angel eyes, you'll think you're in paradise. And one day you'll find out he wears a disguise. Don't look too deep into those angel eyes. Oh no, no, no, no..."

As she exited the forest, her thoughts calmed at the sight of an orange glow welcoming her in the direction of the cottage. The tears on her cheeks dried and a soft smile formed at the thought that her mother was waiting for her, lantern lit to guide her home.

———— 𖥸 ————

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓'𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐖𝐋 echoed through the crisp winter air. Although spring was approaching, it felt all the more distant for those at the castle.

"I rage against the trials of love. I curse the fading of the light. Though she's already flown so far beyond my reach. She's never out of sight."

Without thinking, the beast threw his weight over the balcony and swung along the pyres of the tower, climbing higher and higher as if might help him see over the treeline and catch one last glimpse of her before she vanished forever.

"Now I know she'll never leave me. Even as she fades from view. She will still inspire me. Be a part of everything I do."

He knew it wouldn't be long now. The second to last petal had fallen from the rose and he could feel the creature within waiting for the day it could break free. He'd tried to avoid it as long as he could, but he knew his humanity was fleeting with each passing second.

"Wasting in my lonely tower. Waiting by an open door. I'll fool myself she'll walk right in. And as the long, long nights begin, I'll think of all that might have been."

The enchantress hadn't been lying when she'd said he'd permanently remain in the form of a beast, what she'd failed to mention was that he would also lose his mind in the process. The castle staff would no longer provide company and he would be forced to live out the rest of his days as the animal she perceived him to be. Perhaps he truly deserved it, he'd brought it on himself. But then he remembered the emerald eyes that had eased his pain and shown him a side of himself that had been repressed.

"Waiting here for evermore."

His breath was heavy as he looked out over the castle grounds. The beauty he'd once seen faded and the world looked dull without the presence of an angel. He didn't want to give in to despair, but his hope was lost with his heart when he pushed her away.

———— 𖥸 ————

"𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓?" The staff asked in unison while their faces each reflected an incredulous expression.

Cogsworth sighed and shook his head. "Yes, I'm afraid it's true."

Chip looked like he was on the verge of tears. "She went away?"

"But he was so close," Lumiere lamented.

A sad smile formed on Mrs. Potts's face as she looked out the window at the balcony of their master's room. The beast could be seen staring out at the horizon. She quietly noted what the others hadn't. "After all this time, he's finally learned to love."

"That's it, then," Lumiere perked back up, voicing his spark of hope, "That should break the spell."

Mrs. Potts shook her head, gently correcting the candelabra. "But it's not enough. She has to love him in return."

"And now it's too late," Cogsworth added, turning his attention toward the window. "He pushed her away and I fear she'll never return."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the staff slowly dispersed, offering one another a rueful smile as they tried to make the most of their remaining time.