For the First Time

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canon characters; they belong to Walt Disney and any other respective owners, including the original creator of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Also, the song used is not owned by me under any circumstances; it is the sole property of the band The Script and is used for nonprofit work and serves as the fic's inspiration. Also, translations from Italian and French may not be one-hundred percent accurate since English is my native language and I take Spanish at school, so please correct me if there are any mistakes!

"Drinking old, cheap bottles of wine

Sit, talking up all night

Saying things we haven't for a while.

Smiling, but we're close to tears….

Even after all these years,

We just now got the feeling that we're meeting

For the first time"

-"For the First Time" by the Script

To feel the warmth of the sun once again against skin is a gift within itself. The absence of the sun was one none of the castle's residents particularly mourned, not after its almost eternal disappearance. Granted everyone within the castle's walls longed for, craved for the sun against their skin; however, during the curse it seemed as if the castle in the hidden heart of France was bathed in moonlit skies and darkened clouds nearly every moment. And yet, the warmth of the sun fades quickly in the mind of a particularly dramatic candelabra, or rather, maître d' and footman as he catches sight of Cogsworth standing in front of him.

"Lumière!" Cogsworth happily calls, excitement contained in his voice due to both the curse breaking and coming face-to-face with the most gregarious and honorable Frenchman the British majordomo has ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Though the two had their visible differences- primarily age and approach to life- Cogsworth and Lumière would remain loyal friends and compatriots throughout their lives, as Cogsworth has now lived in France long enough to be a citizen. The once mantel clock gazes upwards to see Lumière's face lit up in a larger grin, the younger man's mustache even curling upwards with the full force of his infectious smile.

"Cogsworth, we beat the clock!" Lumière boldly and joyously announces, and Cogsworth has never been happier to hear the chipper, optimistic voice of the fast-talking Parisian.

(Though he would certainly regret that thought very quickly, if Lumière's tendency to speak for up to four hours uninterrupted was to remain in this stage of life.)

"Mon ami!" Cogsworth cries out instead of any of his internal monologue, simply glad to see his old friend human again after all the years they were cursed.

Lumière acts as if he is going to pull Cogsworth in for a hug, which the Englishman would allow such a gesture this once, given the alarming circumstances in which he and Lumière had to watch the life and light leave all their enchanted friends. However, Lumière gasps slightly upon viewing Madame de Garderobe and Maestro Cadenza wrapped in each other's embrace on the stairs. A group of downy, white feathers fly towards the majordomo and maître d', and Lumière dashes a few feet away to meet his darling Plumette's angelic form.

"Plumette!" he calls in both alarm and pure devotion, instantly at her side in a moment.

Cogsworth simply grins, thrilled the young man has given up his womanizer ways and finally chosen his true love, his heart, his Plumette. The butler can't wipe the smile off his face seeing the young lovers reunite, but mostly he cannot help but smile because Mademoiselle Belle has broken the curse and they are human again. May she forever be blessed in her many years to come.

A caramel-colored hand bursts through the downy feathers as Plumette prepares to reveal herself to the world for the first time in a decade.

"Plumette!" Lumière happily shouts, love practically dripping from his voice as he grasps her smaller, smoother hand in his own before gently pulling her upright, freeing her from her prison of feathers once and for all. "Oh! Mon amour," he breathes out, coming face to face with Plumette's perfectly human body, relishing in the chocolate color of her eyes, the caramel complexion of her skin, and the love sparkling in her smile.

They stare at each other for no longer than a second before Lumière's hands begin to wander, settling on Plumette's shoulders before he gives into the desire that threatened to consume him every moment of the ten years they were cursed. Lumière pulls Plumette's body flush against his own, eliciting a slight gasp from Plumette before her arms catch up with her brain and find their routine positions on Lumière's elbow and back. Their lips crash together in a kiss so instantaneous, that they hardly have time to inhale as they practically breathe life and love into one another. A sensation, a craving, a desire denied for ten years surfaces, and neither Plumette nor Lumière wants this moment in the here and now to end. Lumière's mustache tickles against Plumette's face, and she giggles softly as they deepen the kiss, still filled with the love and passion of their first kiss all those years ago. When it becomes a necessity to breathe again, Plumette and Lumière pull apart, his hands remaining on Plumette's shoulders as he tenderly stares into his dearest's eyes. As her hands slip down Lumière's arms towards his hands, Plumette lets out a slight gasp, seeing a slight cloud of smoke appearing atop her lover's white wig. Lumière gasps as well, suddenly aware of the slight burning sensation taking place on his head where a flame had stood no more than minutes ago.

Lumière bends his knees, crouching to give Plumette better access to his head while he moves his hands to rest along each side of Plumette's ribcage. Plumette, dutiful as she is, pats out the flames as quickly as they started, relieving Lumière exponentially. The lovers turn around and watch as Cogsworth helps Mrs. Potts and Chip turn back into human beings once more to enjoy their first day in the sun in a decade. Their family is becoming whole once more.

Madame de Garderobe and Maestro Cadenza momentarily cease their affections towards one another to dote on Frou-Frou, their baby in almost every sense of the word. The little dog is showered with kisses, loving pats, and embraces as he rests in Cadenza's arms as Garderobe presses her face against Frou-Frou's silky fur. All around the castle grounds, couples, siblings, friends, and families reunite, and Lumière feels his heart soar out of happiness and love. He simply stares at Plumette as he clutches her hands in his own, re-memorizing every detail of her face, converting each dimple, each laugh line to memory.

"Lumière, look!" Plumette excitedly announces, and Lumière breaks his silent reverence of his true love to follow her gaze towards the steps of the castle.

Out steps Adam, hand-in-hand with Belle and looking more relieved- and loved- than he has since the Prince's mother died when Adam was a mere boy of ten.

"Oh, my Prince!" Lumière shouts in an ecstatic tone, bowing to the younger man with all the extravagant formalities Lumière makes use of in his daily life.

Beside him, Plumette curtseys, a grin on her face as well when she sees how excited Prince Adam is at Belle's side.

"Hello, old friend," Adam smiles widely, opening his arms wide to pull his oldest friend and brother-like figure into a hug that is around twenty years overdue.

Ten years a curse plagued the castle; another ten years had seen a young Prince mercilessly crafted into a cruel and uncaring man under the tutelage of Adam's father.

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Lumière admits, looking over Adam's shoulder to see Belle and Plumette talking animatedly about something of great importance, no doubt the curse breaking.

Lumière knows he speaks for all the castle's servants when he thinks of how delightful it is to not only be human again, but to see their Prince, their Adam restored to his human form and happy once more.

That night, a grand feast is held in the castle, courtesy of Prince Adam himself. Everyone present is invited, though it is the generosity and fierce loyalty Adam harbors for his friends that truly win over the people of Villeneuve. Though Adam truly cannot cook even the smallest of meals, he comes into the kitchen to try and aid Cuisiner in any way he can, though that job seems to mainly entail chopping various vegetables and procuring the proper spices from the vast pantry. The Prince then begins to help Lumière with the place settings and layout of such a vast banquet, knowing the maître d' expects everything to be as nearly perfect as it can be during any dinner, particularly a feast for hundreds of people. And yet, the sheer scale of the party does nothing to sever the bonds of the staff and their Prince; Adam makes sure he has the private dining room set up for himself and his dearest friends amongst the staff, as well as his darling Belle.

"Lumière!" Adam calls over the bustle of the kitchen, weaving his way through the throngs of people. "Lumière!" he continues, doing his best to keep up with the quick-witted and equally fast on foot maître d' as Lumière dashes to and fro, tasting food and giving orders.

Adam's mother had definitely had the right intuition to ask Cogsworth to promote Lumière from footman to maître d'; the flamboyant, energetic man definitely has the required skills and then some. When Adam finally manages to catch up with Lumière, the once candelabra has rolled up his sleeves of the expensive gold jacket to help marinate the meat of the penultimate course of the night.

"Lumière!" Adam grins, coming to stand beside the aforementioned man, narrowly avoiding Plumette as she twirls through the door with a plate of shrimp in her hands.

"Mon Prince!" Lumière calls back, digging his hands into the meat as Adam watches, blue eyes wide.

"Please, Lumière, call me Adam as you did when I was young."

"Adam, my sincerest apologies, mon ami. What can I help you with?"

Quick as a flash, the meat at Lumière's hands has been replaced with a small wash basin and soap in addition to a small bowl of vegetables cut by Adam to add to the stew. Adam is amazed, yet not surprised, at the efficiency of the kitchen staff and those such as Plumette who simply dove into whatever task needed attention at the moment.

"I wanted to ask….I wanted to… Do you need any help, Lumière?" Adam fumbles over his words, still in complete shock the staff he thought of as family still loved him over the past two decades, one of which they lived cursed due to his stubbornness, pride, and selfishness.

"I am going to be honest, Adam," Lumière admits, blue eyes sparkling as he catches sight of his darling Plumette exchanging words with Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts. "I do not believe cooking falls into your realm of various skills, mon ami. Please do not worry yourself over this matter," he continues, passing a plate of grey stuff over to Chapeau as he passes by.

"Are you sure?" Adam inquires, hoping to make up for the curse in any way imaginable, even if the price was all the other inhabitants of the castle wished to line up and punch, slap, or swear at him for days or years, if the mood overtook them.

Although, deep down, Adam knows his dearest friends turned family would never attempt to hurt him. (He would not blame them even if they did. He did effectively steal ten years of their lives, after all.)

"Quite so, mon ami," Lumière grins, his face lighting up before he pauses to give out orders. "Final checks, s'il vous plait! Dinner begins in fifteen minutes, my friends! Please, Prince Adam, do not trouble yourself. Go and speak to Belle until dinner is prepared," he offers, tasting a bit of roasted pheasant as it rolls by, Cogsworth shooting him a dirty glare in the process.

"She is speaking with her father," Adam states simply.

"Then perhaps find someone else who craves attention from you, oui? Someone who makes you laugh, mon Prince."

With that, Adam smiles and goes off in search of Chip, eager to bestow upon the young lad some much needed attention and company.

Dinner is quite the success among everyone in the castle, particularly for Adam and Belle. Madame de Garderobe and Maestro Cadenza start and end the feast with a gorgeous duet, he on harpsichord and she singing her heart out, a smile on her lips and Frou-Frou lounging in her arms. Lumière performs "Be Our Guest" for Adam and the rest of the castle family, such as Garderobe and Frou-Frou who did not get to view the first performance. Cogsworth grumbles nearly the whole way through, citing each way Lumière could potentially break his own bones or someone else's. Mrs. Potts and Plumette express ultimate concern when Lumière begins to try and swing from the chandelier as he had done so effortlessly as a candelabra, mind you.

(Though, ultimately, Adam is the one who convinces the enthusiastic, auburn-haired maître d' to descend from the center of the table and the chandelier before any swinging can start.)

Plumette and Lumière hold hands under the table as they whisper sentiments of love to one another all throughout dinner. Mrs. Potts speaks to her husband Jean of what happened during the curse, and he regales her with talk of the village, notably his close relationship with Belle and Maurice as well as the spell Gaston had placed on all of them with his rhetoric and renown as a war veteran. Garderobe and Cadenza sit near one another, their fingers intertwined under the table. Adam and Belle watch the entire scene, smiles on both their faces as they hear Maurice and Cogsworth begin to swap tales of adventures and times long before Adam and Belle were born. The night is divine, and as Belle speaks with Maurice and Jean about the village, he thinks, not for the first time, how truly grateful he is for Mademoiselle Belle, the lady who taught him to love and break the spell.

After all the guests- save for Maurice and Jean- leave the castle, the staff and Adam allow themselves to get rowdier as the night progresses. Lumière, in particular, becomes the hardest to control. (This does not surprise anyone in the least.)

"I will promise you until my dying day that is what he did!" Lumière roars with laughter, tears dripping down his face as his cheeks flush red with pure amusement.

"Adam was the one responsible for making Plumette's duster go missing for three hours?" Belle incredulously inquires. "I find that hard to believe," she continues, giving Lumière an incriminating glance.

"I did!" Adam admits, smiling wide enough to show each of his sparkling teeth. "They were so obviously in love with one another that even I, a mere boy two years younger than Chip could see it!" the Prince continues, his blue eyes shining with love at the fond memory.

"And you hid it in your mother's rose garden, a place you knew we were forbidden to enter when your father was home!" Plumette giggles, her own cheeks flushed red out of slight embarrassment, but also pure love and amusement. "However, the atmosphere did help Lumière finally work up the nerve to kiss me and ask me on a picnic, so thank you, mon Prince Adam," the maid smirks, and Lumière quickly reacts.

"I did not wish to push you too quickly, mon amour!" Lumière defends the actions of his eighteen-year-old self.

"You mean, you were too scared to make a move first," Plumette teases, pouting out her bottom lip.

"I was not! It's just… You were so beautiful and innocent and I didn't want to ruin our friendship, Plumette," Lumière attempts to explain.

"I was beautiful? I'm not anymore, Lumière?"

"No, no! That is not what I meant, mon amour…"

"I know. I'm merely teasing you, darling."

Lumière breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that Plumette is not angry at him. He would have berated himself for making Plumette angry at him on their first night of seeing each other after ten years as enchanted objects. Chip giggles at all the stories told before he asks to be told a story about him. Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth begin to spin the tale for the young lad about the day he was born, one of the happiest days ever celebrated in the castle to date. Chip grins through the whole story, asking questions periodically before he is answered by his parents, Cogsworth, and Lumière, and the young boy is thrilled his birth brought the entire castle together after the death of Adam's mother.

The entire castle swaps stories until midnight, at which time Mrs. Potts determines certain little boys with the name of Chip have gotten to stay up entirely too far past his bedtime. Begrudgingly, Chip follows his mother towards his bedroom, tearing himself away from the stories of the adventures Adam used to have with Plumette and Lumière, tales of Cogsworth's life in Britain, and all of the cities and countries Madame de Garderobe and Maestro Cadenza have visited on their world tour together. With Chip in bed, Lumière breaks out the ten-year-old wine from the cellar, opening the bottles with great bombast and dramatics. Each adult takes a glass and toasts to the health of the castle's inhabitants and to the fortune they received when Maurice and Belle quite literally stumbled into their lives. Belle blushes at all the attention, and Adam softly pecks the side of her face with a kiss, making the farm girl's ears flush a magnificent crimson. Maurice is a given a bedroom for the night, shown to him by Cogsworth and not Lumière because the candelabra confesses he wholly intends to stay up all night talking with and kissing Plumette. Cogsworth readily escorts Maurice to the bedroom Adam designated for the inventor, intent on not stumbling upon Plumette and Lumière passionately kissing in a side corridor as they frequently were found as teenagers and young adults. Combined with Madame de Garderobe and Maestro Cadenza, Belle and Adam, and Jean and Beatrice Potts, Cogsworth simply knows he will come upon some sort of kissing or affection by each couple through no fault of his own. The majordomo would get himself straight to bed after escorting Maurice, because someone would need to have enough rest to perform the duties of getting the castle back in order after ten years of chaos.

Plumette and Lumière enter the maître d's room, bottles of old, cheap wine in hand that Lumière absolutely loved to drink at the balls held in honor of Prince Adam's birthday every year once the boy turned ten and Lumière was twenty-one. They sit down on the bed together, sharing a kiss on the lips after setting the bottles of wine down on Lumière's bedside table.

"Plumette, mon amour!" Lumière breathes in, feeling lighter than he has in precisely a decade, knowing that now he could be as close to his dear Plumette as possible without any lingering fear of setting her ablaze. "It feels like decades since I have held you in my arms like this," he admits, looking down at the beautiful woman held in his strong arms and thanking every star and Heaven above that his love, his Plumette, has returned to him.

"It was one decade, Lumière," Plumette reminds, laughter present in her voice as she removes Lumière's wig to reveal the auburn-red hair she could only imagine for ten years instead of viewing it with her own eyes.

"Do you deny that was too long?" Lumière inquires, following Plumette's example and freeing his lover's raven black curls from the confinement of her wig.

"Non. Ten years without you was tragic and slow torture, mon amour, but at least we were able to see one another every day," Plumette begins to reveal her thoughts on the matter, running her hands up and down Lumière's shirt and his face to reassure herself that he is actually here, that this is real. "Sweet Madame de Garderobe and dear Maestro Cadenza were not as fortunate as we were, my Lumière," she reminds him further, thinking of the extremely loving and devoted Italian couple whom everyone in the castle adored and whom Plumette thought of as second parents since her own parents died in the plague prior to Mrs. Potts inviting the thirteen-year-old Plumette to the castle.

"Oui. We were lucky in that respect," Lumière agrees, believing he would have been positively tortured had he been in Maestro Cadenza's position and robbed of all forms of communication and sight of Plumette for ten years. "But, not being able to see your beautiful eyes and caramel skin, not able to see you gracefully twirl around the castle, that put me in total disarray, Plumette. I began to think of you in the form of your peahen feather-duster, and then I berated myself in my head," he recounts, a combination of love and anguish present in each word that Plumette is sure only Lumière and Madame de Garderobe have the skill required to speak in such a way. "Remaining optimistic became my only hope for holding onto the idea that we would eventually become human again with the help of a darling mademoiselle who I could only hope would love our Prince as you genuinely love me, Plumette," Lumière admits, enfolding Plumette in his warm, loving embrace before peppering every inch of her face with kisses, lingering on her lips as they exchange a wordless declaration of love.

"Optimism has always been one of your best character attributes, Lumière," Plumette compliments, revealing one of her favorite qualities that has made her fall even more deeply in love with Lumière as the years passed. "Thank you for not giving up on us, my love," she softly says, craning her neck upwards to press a gentle kiss to his cheek, inhaling the scent of his clothes as she immerses herself in all five sense surrounding Lumière, the smell of his clothes, the sound of his voice and breathing, the feel of his hands in hers, the taste of his wine-soaked lips on hers, and the sight of the charismatic, devoted man in front of her she has loved since she was a young woman of sixteen, and he was a gentleman of merely eighteen.

Lumière grasps her smaller hands in his own larger ones, pressing his lips to each of her knuckles, causing Plumette to laugh like she did back when she was a teenager and Lumière had first started courting her.

"Merci, my darling. I appreciate the compliment," he grins that dazzling, yet dopey love-sick grin before he continues. "If I had to wait more than the lifetime I already had to wait for you, I would have died!"

"Lumière, honestly!" Plumette sighs, lying down to where her head is now resting in Lumière's lap as he brushes his fingers through her curls, enjoying the way they bounce on his hands.

"Whatever do you mean, Plumette?"

"You are so dramatic!"

"Dramatic? Me?" Lumière gasps, throwing a hand to his lips while acting as scandalized as possible. "Mon amour, I believe you have me confused with someone else, mon Prince to be specific," he smirks, falling backwards on the bed with such dramatic flair he threatens to rock the bed as he crashes down on his back on the thick blanket.

Plumette sighs before scooting over closer to her lover, tucking herself against his side, her arms slung across his waist where his gold jacket meets his pants.

"Yes, you! Lumière, you are one of the most dramatic men, non, one of the most dramatic people I have ever met!" Plumette loudly declares, laughter present in her voice and on her face.

"And that is to say what, darling?" the maître d' challenges, glancing over at Plumette, his blue eyes locking onto her chocolate brown ones. "I thought you loved my flair for the dramatic," he affirms, wrapping his arms behind her back and winding them around her sides, feeling the downy, billowy material of her signature white dress.

"And I do!" she promises, her voice maintaining the volume of her last statement before quieting her voice so as not to startle the inhabitants of the nearby bedrooms. "But, I think that your passion and flair for dramatics combined makes you quite the theatrical man in your day to day life," Plumette giggles. "I think I agree with Prince Adam on what he said about you during our exchange earlier when you were conversing with Cadenza and Garderobe."

"And what, exactly, did mon Prince Adam say about me, Plumette?" Lumière inquires, cocking an eyebrow before continuing his questioning. "Something about how dashing, charming, handsome, fearless, down-to-earth, and humble I am?" he comments, a smug smirk taking its residence on the maître d's lips.

"We need to work on humble some," Plumette mumbles under her breath, though internally she firmly believes Lumière embodies all the stated adjectives and then some.

"I heard that, my beauteous Aphrodite," Lumière murmurs against her neck as he buries his face in her hair and at the crook of her shoulder.

"No, he actually said that you must think that Shakespeare wrote his 'All the world's a stage' line for you to follow as your life's motto," she reveals, humming in content as Lumière begins to trace hearts along the expanse of her arms before writing "mon amour" on her stomach, making Plumette giggle at the soft touch of his fingertips.

Oh, she had missed this man and all his theatrics, down to the over-the-top way he always says her name to the extravagant plans he makes each year for their anniversary and her birthday.

Lumière laughs breathlessly as he dwells on how true Adam's statement is and how much the Shakespeare quote fits him.

"Alas, I admit it," he concedes, turning over onto his stomach before propping himself up on his elbows, facing Plumette who has similarly shifted positions, a bottle of wine in hand which she passes to Lumière once she takes a small drink. "Merci. Other than you, Plumette, I believe Adam and Cogsworth know me the best, so if all of you believe me to be dramatic, then surely I must be," he grins, tipping the bottle upwards and taking a swig of wine before laughing. "I'm not overly dramatic, per se, simply the right amount of dramatic for the situation at hand," Lumière says in attempt to be both humorous and expressing his tiredness, as it is almost one o'clock AM, not to mention that none of the servants have slept in ten years, save for Chip.

The need had simply not been present; their bodies turned enchanted objects did not require sleep to function. However, Chip always went to sleep in the cupboard per Mrs. Potts' orders; she wanted her son to maintain a normal sleep schedule for when they returned to their human forms.

"Mon dieu," Plumette whispers, surging forward and capturing Lumière's lips with her own, knowing it is one of the few ways to get her lover to shut up for at least the duration of the kiss and, hopefully, drop the current topic of conversation to move to a more desired discussion.

Lumière feels chills shiver down his body, and he inches closer to Plumette, running his hands through her black curls, drinking in the warmth and love coming from his true love as they kiss without a care in the world. Once their lips depart from one another, Lumière and Plumette move to sit with their backs against the headboard.

Plumette lays her head in the crook of Lumière's neck and shoulder, comforted by the calming rhythm of his heart beating in his chest. Like the metronome in Cadenza and Garderobe's music room, Lumière's heart keeps time as he strokes a hand through Plumette's curls as he used to do when he helped his love moisturize her luscious locks. His other hand entangles with Plumette's on his knee, and Lumière is glad all fears have seemingly vanished between the two of them.

"Are you tired, mon amour?" Lumière inquires in a playful tone, noticing how droopy Plumette's eyelids appear.

"Maybe a little," Plumette concedes, a yawn akin to that of a lion overtaking her lips.

"Plumette, you appear as if you can barely stay awake for another moment, ma chérie," the maître d' teases, and a hint of drowsiness overtakes his own voice. "Perhaps you should consider going to sleep, mon amour," he suggests, beginning to peel back the blankets where she could slip under them.

"Lumière, I do not wish to leave your side, mon amour. We spent ten years apart; I can't lose you again so soon," she admits, locking her chocolate brown eyes on his vibrant blue ones.

"And you don't have to, chérie! Stay right here beside me."

"Lumière! You cannot be serious, darling!"

"And why not? I am seriously in love with you, my darling Plumette."

"Lumière, staying in your room would surely…"

"Non, non, mon amour!" Lumière loudly exclaims, knowing exactly where Plumette is going with her thoughts. "Prince Adam is now in charge of the castle, not his twisted father. We do not have to sneak around anymore!" he happily reminds, remembering a time when he and Plumette had to sneak time, kisses, and dates, especially after Adam's mother died, as Adam's father believed relationships between servants marked betrayal and similarly was disgusted at the prospect of mixed race couples.

Though Plumette and Lumière as well as Maestro Cadenza and Madame de Garderobe were devoted, caring couples even when Adam was a mere child, the then Prince despised even the thought of such relationships, voicing such to young Adam. Neither couple allowed the words to crush or damage their love for one another. If anything, the opposition from Adam's father strengthened the bonds they shared, particularly considering Cadenza and Garderobe had been married for nearly a decade upon arriving at the castle for the first time.

"And, what is the worst that could happen, amour?" Lumière continues, and Plumette barely manages to snap herself awake. "It is not like our relationship is secret or private. Cogsworth has stumbled upon us kissing or dancing in the dead of night more times than I can remember, and I would feel slight pity were he to not make such scandalized faces!" and here Lumière laughs, making Plumette giggle as well. "Besides, mon amour, I am pretty sure with the curse breaking that many beds will be vacated to spend time with those dearest to all."

"Hmm… You make a very tempting point, my Lumière, but I do not have any gowns in this room and I am not sleeping in this dress, no matter how comfortable it may be," Plumette rationalizes, knowing Lumière would never take such a suggestion crudely or anything other than literally.

When they first began dating so long ago- thirteen years biologically but twenty-three years in actuality, as they did not age during the curse- Plumette and Lumière made a deep promise to one another that they would save their most precious gifts until after they were married and ready to start a stable family. Now that the curse is broken, and Adam is in command of the castle, Plumette half suspects Lumière will be asking her a life-altering question very soon.

"You can simply wear some of my spare clothes, Plumette. No one will see you and you can return to your room in the morning without anyone suspecting a thing," he suggests, leaping off his bed before pulling out a collection of nightshirts and spare pants before spinning around and giving Plumette privacy. "Help yourself, mademoiselle," Lumière bows, beginning to peel off his gold dinner jacket and then setting the bottles of wine far away from the bed.

Lumière's jaw nearly hits the floor upon seeing Plumette wearing his shirt and pants.

"You look absolutely stunning, mon amour," he manages to whisper as they climb under the covers, Plumette resting her head against Lumière's chest as they snuggle up to one another.

"I feel like I'm wearing a bag; your arms are too long compared to mine," Plumette laughs, pressing a kiss to Lumière's cheek as he presses one to the crown of her head.

"Oh, come now, darling. None of that now," Lumière tuts, wrapping his arms around Plumette's waist, keeping her within reach to ensure himself of her presence, to ensure himself she is really here.

They are really human again.

It's not just a dream.

"How long have we known each other, Plumette? Twenty-five years, give or take, including the curse?"

"Oui. Twenty-five years have I known you, and we have been dating for twenty-three, curse considered and all. Why, Lumière?"

"Well, after the prolonged absence from you, ma chérie, I feel like I am seeing you for the first time as I did twenty-five years ago," Lumière reveals, a charming smile punctuating his words.

"Oh, mon amour, thank you. I can remember how absolutely smitten you were with me even then, regardless of your philanderer behavior even at age sixteen," Plumette hides her grin in her pillow, her chocolate eyes closing as she prepares for the well-deserved and desired sleep she has missed.

"The sun still shines in your eyes, mon amour. Every time I look at you, I fall in love all over again."

"I appreciate the flattery, Lumière, but we are both sincerely tired and I wish to go to sleep. Good night, Lumière."

"And when I hold you like this and press kisses to your lips, I feel as if Heaven blessed me with my own angel here on Earth."

"Good night, Lumière."

"Good night. I love you," Lumière tenderly murmurs, rolling onto his side to where his chest is against Plumette's back.

"I love you, too," Plumette whispers, her eyes closed as she starts to slip into slumber. "Now, please go to sleep before I kick you out of your own bedroom."

Lumière does not make a single peep after that.

By the time Maestro Cadenza and Madame de Garderobe reach their room, it is around 12:15 A.M. and both the harpsichord player and famous opera singer are exhausted. Frou-Frou lies still in Garderobe's arms, a twitch of his leg or a snore betraying his doggy slumber. The young dog had missed his parents terribly, his Mama in particular. He has not left her side since the curse was reversed except to play with Chip as Garderobe instructed or to give Cadenza his allotted snuggle time and kisses.

Though, everyone takes a backseat in comparison to Madame de Garderobe in Frou-Frou's mind; no one else would ever replace the special place in his heart reserved for his Mama. It nearly breaks Garderobe's heart to slip her baby Frou-Frou into his circular bed filled with pillows and blankets.

"Amore," Cadenza whispers behind Garderobe, lighting a candle in each room of their suite where they will not trip in the familiar- yet faded- surroundings that have laid unclaimed for ten years. "You need to put him down. You can't possibly hold him all night and still get any sleep, cara mia," he reminds, ushering towards the dog bed, dropping his head onto Garderobe's shoulder as he stares lovingly at her and at the slumbering Frou-Frou.

"It's just been so long since I've held our little tesoro, amore," Garderobe softly remarks, running her fingertips over Frou-Frou's head as the dog continues to sleep soundly in her embrace. "I don't want him to think I've abandoned him without so much as a goodbye," she reveals, feeling Cadenza kiss her neck and wrap his arms around her waist.

"He will think no such thing," Cadenza assures, humming a portion of Garderobe's favorite opera as he sways back and forth. "While the whole experience has probably confused him, I know he feels safe and loved once more. And I also need to show you how much I missed you," he whispers, and Garderobe sets Frou-Frou into his bed as gently as possible before spinning around and pressing her lips to Cadenza's with ten years of with-held passion.

"Amore," she gasps as Cadenza trails kisses down her face and neck as tenderly as he had all those years ago when they first married.

"Cuore mio," Cadenza whispers with a kiss to her forehead. "Anima mia," he continues, stepping backwards towards their bed before kissing her neck. "Vita mia," Cadenza ends with a long, passionate kiss to the lips.

Garderobe realizes no matter the time, no matter the distance, no matter the differences, a husband and wife should never be apart for ten years.

Frou-Frou wakes up to the sound of giggling and gasps for air and cocks his ears to try and locate the source of the noise. He catches it immediately. Oh. It was just Papa up to his usual tricks to make Mama laugh breathlessly. The way humans kiss is so weird! Pressing their lips against one another or pressing kisses to faces and hands? Yuck! Frou-Frou knows a much better way to get his Mama to laugh, and it would not involve his lips on hers at all, thank you very much. The five-year-old terrier bunches his muscle, takes a running start, and leaps towards the bed with paws outstretched. This time, he sticks the landing, unlike when he was significantly younger and toppled to the floor before scrabbling up the queen-sized bed. Frou-Frou makes nearly instantaneous work of locating his Mama's feet in the dark room before pulling off her socks one after the other. Gently he remembers, having learned that lesson years and years ago when he was just a tiny puppy who explored anything and everything with his teeth.

"No, no, Frou-Frou," Madame de Garderobe had gently scolded the puppy years ago. "Charming gentlemen do not use their teeth to bite, especially not their family, my tesoro," she continued teaching him etiquette, and Frou-Frou still remembers every word of his Mama's lessons!

In the present, Madame de Garderobe laughs as Cadenza draws imaginary hearts on her cheeks, feeling a different sensation entirely on her feet.

"Maestro," Garderobe says in a sing-song voice, cupping one side of Cadenza's face in her hands. "I do believe someone is awake," she motions with her hands, sitting up to see Frou-Frou licking between her dark toes, covering the opera singer's entire foot with slobbery kisses before dutifully moving onto the other foot, slobber coating it as well.

Garderobe throws her head back, laughing as Frou-Frou continues to lick his Mama's feet until Cadenza sits up and plucks the little dog into his arms.

"Frou-Frou, tesoro, are you jealous of Papa, hmm?" Cadenza coos. "Do you think Papa's taking up all Mama's attention, tesoro?" he inquires, scratching Frou-Frou under his fuzzy chin, causing the pup to snuggle into his Papa's embrace.

However, an affirmative yip reveals his thoughts on the matter. Yes, Papa is taking up too much of Mama's time. They sang and played harpsichord together all night and kissed until he woke up.

"Isn't that enough?" Frou-Frou questions in his head.

His parents are definitely confusing in terms of affection, that's for sure. Frou-Frou believes he will never understand their traditions, no matter how hard he tries.

When Cadenza finishes giving affection to Frou-Frou, the terrier in question wriggles out of his Papa's grasp and practically flings himself against his Mama, his tail wagging so furiously it slaps against her gown. Madame de Garderobe wastes no time covering him in kisses, loving pats, and above all else, belly rubs. Frou-Frou whines in pleasure, his back leg thumping against the bed and his tail wagging furiously in Cadenza's face, much to the musician's amusement and slight chagrin. As Garderobe continues to dote on their completely spoiled dog, cooing to him the whole time, Cadenza thinks not for the first time what a lovely mother his amore would have made if circumstances were different. Cadenza and Garderobe met in an opera house when he was twenty and she was a shining young starlet at seventeen. As the son of a wealthy Italian aristocrat, Cadenza grew up in a society highly coveted and so elite, many could only dream to be a part of such a class. Maestro Cadenza- as he was an accomplished maestro by the age of eighteen- was not sure why. He absolutely despised all the attention and jealousy directed his way, especially when it came to suitors. Cadenza frankly hated all the potential suitors his mother and father brought to meet him, though not due to superficial reasons such as height, weight, hair color, or stature as most young men were. If a young woman was not able to hold a conversation, challenge his ideals, portray some sense of intelligence, or surprise him with her own skill sets or sense of the world, Cadenza showed no interest in them. As such, his parents were growing weary of their son's constant aversion to suitors and arranged for him to wed Countess Marie's daughter Angelique the day after Cadenza's twenty-first birthday. He had half a year to find a way to stop the marriage, not because he did not like Angelique as a friend, but he knew the young countess to be in love with a man named Bernardo.

Mademoiselle de Garderobe as she was known to the world at the time became his salvation. The two bonded almost instantly, regardless of their well-known tempers typically aimed at other artists. Garderobe was the first singer to ever fit perfectly with Cadenza's harpsichord arrangements, and Cadenza was the only harpsichord player to even consider making the arrangement with Garderobe instead of trying to play over her melodic voice which descended from Heaven. They became fast friends after their first performance; the two could almost always be found practicing with one another between performances or strolling near the river before dunking their feet in the water on sweltering hot Italian summer days. Cadenza and Garderobe fall in love quickly, and she soon finds out about his arranged marriage to Angelique. Garderobe marries Cadenza the day before his twenty-first birthday, two months after she turned eighteen. They began to travel the world not only as husband and wife, but as the most formidable and famous duet in the music world. Angelique marries Bernardo, and both young couples are immediately disowned by their families, particularly Cadenza and Angelique for marrying those their parents never approved of.

When Madame de Garderobe is twenty-five and at the peak of her singing career, she is devastated to discover she and Maestro Cadenza cannot have children. During their seven years of marriage, Garderobe has suffered three miscarriages, each pregnancy developing further than the last. After she miscarries the third time while pregnant with twins- a boy and a girl- Garderobe confides in Cadenza and tells him she does not want to try for any more children. She wouldn't be able to cope with another loss. Cadenza does not try and get his wife to reconsider, he simply runs his hands through her raven black hair, sings Italian lullabies and cries with his dear one over their children who never got to see the sun or take a single breath. He would never blame his amore, for he knows it is not his dearest one's fault. It would never be her fault, and Cadenza would vow to his dying day to fight anyone who tried to claim it was. Not long after the third miscarriage, Garderobe heard a very pitiful whining coming from behind their summer cottage in Italy where she and Cadenza spent time when not performing to simply enjoy each other's company. The famous opera singer stumbled upon a female dog bleeding heavily from a wound on her paw, hardened blood and scabs already starting to form simultaneously to fresh blood welling out.

"Poor dear," Madame de Garderobe had whispered before giving the dog some food and then cautiously picking up the dog and taking her home.

Cadenza comes home and sees his wife curled up on the couch with the dog, a bandage on her paw. He noted how the dog- which Madame began calling Aurora- delivered a litter of puppies recently, so as Cadenza is such a kind man, he takes Aurora to try and find her puppies. However, no puppies were found, so Garderobe and Aurora mourned their children together. One afternoon while on a walk near the lake with Cadenza, Aurora ran off whining and did not come back immediately after Cadenza called her. By the time Aurora returns, she has a tiny orange kitten with twelve horizontal orange stripes running across his body. Aurora helps raise the kitten, and Cadenza names the orange kitten Allegro; their family is perfect, and both Aurora and Allegro live for thirteen years with Cadenza and Garderobe.

When the curse hits, Garderobe and Cadenza have been married for thirty-one years, and each year has been magical. With the curse over, they have now been married nearly forty-one years, one of the longest relationships ever known in the castle. Their love never fades; if anything, they find new qualities or quirks to adore in their amore. Frou-Frou has now dozed off in Garderobe's arms, and she manages to sneak one hand from under Frou-Frou to place it on Cadenza's arm.

"My amore, I love you," Garderobe grins in the light of the candle, resting her hand in Cadenza's, and his eyes shine with love for her.

"I love you, too, my stellina," Cadenza remarks, closing the gap between them and then pressing a quick kiss to her lips and pulling back with a large grin on his lips. "I utterly missed you, cara mia," he continues, and they begin to swap sentiments, as they used to do every night over their forty-one years of marriage even when they were young newlyweds.

However, simply sitting in silence just looking over at one another to assure they are present and human once more is not a problem, either. Words could often get in the way; glances, looks, and kisses serve Garderobe and Cadenza well. They sometimes believe Plumette would be forever grateful if Lumière could learn such control of his mouth, but the maître d' always seems to need to run his mouth to speak his opinion or profess his love for Plumette. And yet, deep down, everyone is perfectly aware of how much Plumette loves to hear Lumière's ideas, crazy schemes, and expressions of love, as Lumière always makes her happy and can get her to laugh at nearly anything.

Garderobe and Cadenza have always thought of Plumette as their daughter, taking her under their wings to act as her second parents. Plumette received singing lessons from Garderobe, and the young maid could often be found playing the harpsichord with Cadenza on Friday and Saturday nights. When not with Lumière, Plumette could always be found with her adoptive parents of sorts, floating around the room as she practiced dancing around the ballroom as Garderobe and Cadenza practice their singing and music, respectively, for all of their performances the Prince had them do in order to fill his ball with beautiful people and music. Such dancing earned Plumette the affectionate nickname "passerotta" or "little sparrow" from Madame de Garderobe, a name that has stuck with the maid since she was a mere girl of thirteen. Plumette is definitely what Cadenza and Garderobe believe their own child would have been like and are so thankful she took to them as they did to her.

"I am so happy my passerotta was able to reunite with her Lumière after all they went through, especially during the curse," Garderobe whispers, clasping Cadenza's hands and pressing a kiss to them. "They deserve to get married, Maestro."

"Indeed. Prince Adam's father certainly tried to put a strain on their relationship," Cadenza agrees, clutching Garderobe's dark hands in his much lighter ones.

"Not to mention the fact that Plumette was terribly burned in the earliest days of the curse by Lumière," Garderobe continues, sadness present in her face when she remembers the fear present in Plumette's voice when the then feather-duster relayed the scene to the then wardrobe. "She lived in fear that the curse made her so delicate that Lumière would never be able to hold her again."

"I held the same fears, amore," Cadenza whispers, scooting closer to Garderobe and wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body closer to his own. "I didn't know when I'd ever get to kiss you again, when I'd ever get to hear you sing your heart out with all the passion under the moon," and here he trails off, crashing his lips against his wife's, and Garderobe moves her hands from under Frou-Frou to wrap them behind Cadenza's head and neck.

They deepen the kiss, enjoying each spark of passion that oozes from every fiber of their being. However, soon a tongue and furry head slips between Cadenza and Garderobe, causing them to laugh.

"I think someone believes you are in his spot, Maestro," Garderobe says, collecting Frou-Frou into her arms.

"Well, someone needs to know that Mama's attention belonged to Papa many years before he was ever born," Cadenza smirks, brushing his hand over Frou-Frou's head.

"Come on, Frou-Frou. Time for sleep," Garderobe calls, patting a spot on the mattress close to her side.

And when Frou-Frou settles down for the night, everyone is now sleeping in the castle, preparing for days in the sun to come shining through once more.

Author's Note: And there it is! My second contribution to the Beauty and the Beast fandom! I am so incredibly proud of this piece; it's one of my longest one-shots to date, and I love every word and how it came together. Almost 8,200 words and countless hours went into this fic, my dear readers! I hope you all enjoyed! (I actually was able to start this piece during school on Tuesday because all of the high school juniors were taking the ACT and my senior IB teachers were proctoring, so we did not have to go to class and I got almost all day to write this story. However, I just finished writing the story yesterday, and then I had to type it all up, even though I still have quite an astronomical amount of homework to do since my senior year of high school ends in May, after the stressful month of IB tests that is coming up!) If you have any prompts, please don't hesitate to send them to me in a review or PM so long as it is not M-rated! Until next time, dear readers! Have an amazing day, afternoon, or night!