𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐁 reached the edge of the forest and looked at the castle looming before them, the fire of their spirits dwindled. Realizing if he didn't act quickly that they might turn back, Gaston gestured for the villagers to bring forth the trees they'd cut down that would act as battering rams.

"Are you not the least bit concerned..." LeFou stammered, "that this castle might be haunted?"

"Don't lose your nerve, LeFou," Gaston reprimanded.

The battering ram worked like a charm and the castle doors were thrown back on their hinges. Gaston waved the villagers onward and lifted his torch as he stepped inside himself.

"Take whatever booty you can find," Gaston urged, but added a quick warning with a dangerous glare in his eyes, "but remember, the Beast is mine!"

The villagers cautiously stepped forward, muttering under their breaths as they crept further inside. Belle and her father shared a knowing glance, but were otherwise ignored by the others.

"Oh, hello, there." LeFou chuckled as he bent down to look at the delicate tea set that had been left out. Although Celine hadn't shared much of her experience at the castle, Belle had mistakenly confided in Gaston; therefore, LeFou knew all about the enchanted place even if he didn't actually believe every aspect of the story. "You must be the talking tea cup. And you must be his grandmother."

"Grandmother?" Mrs. Potts gasped. LeFou jumped back startled as Mrs. Potts screamed her battle cry. "Attack!"

The dark interior was immediately lit by the candles hung around the room and that's when the inanimate objects around the room proved that they were very much alive indeed.

Chaos ensued as feather dusters and dishes terrorized some of his best men while the tea set scalded the others, leaving burns that would take weeks to heal. Gaston winced, but didn't allow himself to be deterred. Sometimes in battle sacrifices had to be made for victory to be claimed.

"Gaston!" LeFou called for him. Gaston hardly glanced over his shoulder, noticing that his short comrade had been pinned beneath a piano. "Gaston. Help."

"Sorry, old friend," Gaston half-heartedly apologized before flashing a charming grin, "It's hero time."

LeFou looked crestfallen as Gaston ascended the stairs. He had one thing on his mind: killing the beast. Sure, the intention was to save Celine from whatever spell she'd been placed under, but he never was one to have his priorities right nor the strongest multitasker. So it didn't help that his thoughts threatened to distract him as he continued his climb.

"We are young. Heartache to heartache. We stand. No promises. No demands. Love is a battlefield. We are strong. No one can tell us we're wrong. Searching our hearts for so long. Both of us knowing, love is a battlefield."

Once he reached the top of the stairs, he pulled his crossbow from his shoulder. Normally he would've started with his musket, but this creature did not deserve a quick death. He needed it to feel his pain and understand how it had tainted his angel with its monstrosity of dark magic.

"You're making me go then making me stay. Why do you hurt me so bad? It would help me to know. Do I stand in your way or am I the best thing you've had? Believe me, believe me I can't tell you why, but I'm trapped by your love and I'm chained to your side."

She had a dangerous hold on him. It was an obsession, but the angel had no control over him. He was blinded by what he thought was love and he was willing to do anything for her, besides listen, which might soon prove to be his fault.

"We are young. Heartache to heartache. We stand. No promises. No demands. Love is a battlefield. We are strong. No one can tell us we're wrong. Searching our hearts for so long. Both of us knowing, love is a battlefield."

He turned down the next hall and the candlelight had dimmed, claiming this section of the castle in darkness. He paralleled this darkness with evil, believing he was on the right track. Hope sparked in his chest as he realized he was that much closer to achieving his goal.

"When I'm losing control, will you turn me away or touch me deep inside? And when all this gets old, will it still feel the same? There's no way this will die. But if we get much closer, I could lose control. And if your heart surrenders, you'll need me to hold."

He didn't hesitate. No, he absorbed the moment. He took a deep breath then slowly pushed open the door to the chambers of the west wing.

"We are young. Heartache to heartache. We stand. No promises. No demands. Love is a battlefield. We are strong. No one can tell us we're wrong. Searching our hearts for so long. Both of us knowing, love is a battlefield."

Suddenly, he was face to face with the creature, or he would be if the beast would actually turn around. The moon didn't provide much light into the room, but it did silhouette the creature's hulking figure.

Realizing the crossbow might not do much good, he shouldered the weapon and unholstered his pistol. "Hello, beast. I'm Gaston. Celine sent me."

The beast hardly gave him a second glance, it just looked back out the window in despair. He took this as a personal insult against his skill. That the beast didn't actually believe he was a threat.

He lunged. As the hunter threw himself at the beast, the two crashed through the window and rolled from the balcony down onto the roof tiles of the towers below. Gaston scrambled to his feet and shot in the general direction of the beast. The shot missed, but he'd considered it a warning so he remained unbothered.

"Get up!" Gaston shouted and jeered. "Get up! What's the matter, Beast? Too kind and gentle to fight back?"

He didn't give the beast any time to actually answer as he kicked out his leg and sent him rolling down onto the next ledge. The hunter pursued his prey, jumping down after him with a dark look shining from his eyes.

———— 𖥸 ————

Celine quickly dismounted from atop Philippe and lifted the hem of her skirt to sprint up the steps. The large doors had already been smashed open, so she had no issues entering the castle; however, she was almost immediately trampled by half a dozen villagers running by to escape the wrath of Lumiere and Cogsworth who had teamed up into some unstoppable duo. Had she not had more serious matters on her mind, she might have found the fight humorous.

However, she was running out of time.

The black shade of her fingertips had spread up along her arms and the rest of her veins glowed. She could feel the effects of her adrenaline fading fast. The pace of her heart beating quickened as her eyes scanned the crowd and she noticed that the hunter was nowhere in sight. On the other hand, she was forced to stop in shock at the sight of LeFou and Belle helping Mrs. Potts chase several of the other villagers out of the castle.

Celine jumped as a hand touched her shoulder. Her head whipped over her shoulder and she met the gaze of Hugo. The bookkeeper quickly placed a finger to his lips and guided her over to the staircase.

"He headed toward the West Wing," Hugo said as he gestured up the stairs. "We've got everything handled here. Go stop Gaston."

"Thank you." Her voice was a whisper and there was pain filling her eyes, but she was genuine.

She squeezed his hand before lifting the hem of her skirt and rushing up the stairs toward the West Wing. Some furniture had fallen in front of the door, presumably by the start of the fight which must've ended where the window was shattered. She rushed to the edge, avoiding the shards of glass that would've undoubtedly cut her if she'd placed her hands on the sill. The wind whipped and pulled at her messed up hair, completely undoing the once tight bun.

"Are you in love with her?" Gaston's voice echoed. "Did you honestly think she'd want you?"

Celine's eyes frantically scanned the towers until she found exactly who she was looking for. Her heart and voice cried out. "Adam!"

Gaston turned his head in surprise, providing the beast time to slink away into the shadows. Celine didn't waste any time trying to find a graceful path toward the hunter. Alarm spread across his face as she carelessly slid down the tiles, stopping just in front of him. She tried to push past him, but he restrained her.

She hit him in the chest, trying to push the hunter away. "What have you done to him?"

"I don't blame you for any of this," Gaston didn't answer her question. "In fact, when we return to the village with you in your right mind, you will marry me. And that beast's head will hang on our wall."

As Gaston lifted his pistol, Celine wrestled with the weapon. "No!"

The pistol slipped from the grasp and scattered down the tower tiles below, landing on one of the bridges between towers. Gaston's gaze hardened as he looked back and forth between the girl and the gun, as if he could only choose one. Making up his mind, he leapt, sliding down the tiles to slow his descent.

"It's over, beast!" Gaston shouted. "You've tainted my angel and now I'm coming for you!"

"No!" Celine cried out again, but fatigue prevented her from chasing after the hunter. She looked down at her bare arms, noticing that the black shade had reached her shoulders

"Celine?" Adam questioned, glancing over her shoulder before freezing in place, he'd thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but there she was: golden hair in loose curls around her shoulders, tattered cream dress with feathers blowing in the wind, emerald eyes that pierced through even the darkest night, glowing more brilliant in the stars absent in the sky above. "Celine! You came back!"

A lump formed in Celine's throat as she tried to reach out to him, desperate for him to be by her side once more. "I tried to stop them!"

"Stay there!" Adam called out. "I'm coming."

He took a step back before bounding toward the ledge where Celine waited. A murderous glare filled Gaston's eyes as he watched the smitten look cross the faces of the beast and his fallen angel. He refused to stand for this. As the beast pulled himself up, just one leap away from reaching his goal, Gaston rushed forward and knocked him off balance. Taking advantage of the situation, the hunter pried one of the stone clubs away from one of the gargoyle buttresses and swung wildly.

"Gaston!" Celine cried out, lifting her skirt as she tried to follow from the other side of the chasm. "Leave him alone!"

Gaston ignored her, connecting with the beast's side once then twice, sending the creature rolling out onto the crumbling bridge. He continued onward, swinging again and again with the intention of bashing the beast's skull in, no longer concerned with mounting the head. He was no longer relying on skill, but pure animalistic instinct. He knew he was coming close, but the beast's paw reached up and stopped the club from delivering a final blow.

On its monstrous hind legs, the beast stood, suddenly overpowering him as he towered over him. Gaston grunted and groaned as he fought for dominance, but the battle quickly became a losing one. To make matters worse, the hunter lost his weapon as the beast smashed it against the nearby column. Without hesitation, the thick paw clutched the hunter's shirt and lifted him over the edge.

Gaston's breath grew shaky as he begged for his life. It only took one glance down at the miles of open air to understand how dire the situation was. "Don't let me go—Please. I'll do anything... Don't hurt me, beast."

The beast's hardened gaze softened, revealing a hidden humanity. Slowly, he brought the hunter back on to solid ground. "I am not... a beast."

From across the way, standing by helplessly watching, Celine concealed a breath of relief. It didn't take much to realize that two men in a conquest blinded by love was never a good thing and usually resulted in tragedy... but maybe Shakespeare had gotten it wrong.

"Go," the beast growled, keeping his tone low. "Get out."

Gaston scrambled back, sprinting toward the stairs that would lead him to solid ground. No longer concerned with the hunter, Adam turned his attention back toward Celine. She immediately saw what he meant to do and tried to persuade him to rethink the decision. "Don't! It's too far!"

Adam didn't listen. He leaned back on his haunches before bounding across the chasm. He barely made the jump and Celine quickly had to rush to his side to help him up onto the edge, but they were together. She wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes tight as if afraid he wouldn't be there when she opened them. Adam similarly held her tight and grounded her against him.

A sharp pain tore through the muscles of his shoulder blades, forcing him to emit an unbecoming howl. Celine looked up in fright, but concerned for his well being. She looked over his shoulder, catching Gaston in the act of loading his pistol.

Her eyes widened in fright and she quickly moved to Adam's side, but her world felt as if it moved in slow motion. As Gaston's pistol fired a second time, Celine veins flowed brighter, releasing a burst stream of green sparks in the hunter's direction. She had no intention of bringing harm, but instinct took control.

As the bullet connected with Adam, the spell connected with the bridge. Green streams of light filled the prior cracks of the stones, splitting them further and further apart until not even the air could support the hunter's weight. Gaston released a bloodcurdling scream as he fell with no chance of survival.

The horror of what she'd done only lasted a second as Adam's heavy breath pulled her back into the moment. She rushed to his side, kneeling next to him, trying to apply pressure to the wounds that were already soaking his shirt. "No, please, come on!"

Adam covered her hands with his, fighting through the pain to look her in the eyes. "You came back."

"Of course I came back," Celine replied as if it should have been obvious. "You didn't think you could scare me away that easily, did you? I couldn't just let them—oh, this is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner."

Adam reached his hand up and gently wiped away the tears that had started to stream down her face. "Maybe it's better this way."

"Don't talk like that." Celine shook her head. "I'm back. I—I'll never leave you again."

A gentle, but pained and wistful smile formed on his face. "I'm afraid it's my turn to leave."

"We're together now," Celine tried again to convince him to hold on until she could get help. "Everything's going to be fine. You'll see."

"At least I got to see you one..." Adam gasped for breath, struggling to fight through the pain, "... last time."

Just before Adam's eyes completely closed, a glowing green flash blinded him. The light wasn't jarring, but comforting and seemed to ease his pain. All feeling began to fade as his eyes rolled up inside his head.