Author's Note: This fic inadvertently came from a conversation TheGreenArcher and I had a few days ago, exploding from a tiny idea I tried to ignore to a full plot within an hour. Though she had no active part in its development, I thank her wholeheartedly for planting the seed that this fic somehow grew from. As always, I thank Emily and ArtFlourish for being my beta readers. Please read TheGreenArcher's and ArtFlourish's fics.

Belle reached down as far as she could, anxious and eager to feel the Beast's touch, to assure herself that he was alive and safe. If it was bright daylight and completely dry, she might have taken the chance and tried to climb down to meet him halfway, but she was too afraid of slipping on wet tiles in the dark. As soon as she was free of the basement, she grabbed Chip and mounted Philippe, wasting precious seconds waiting for her father to join her before starting the horse at a full gallop to the castle. Despite their long absence from each other, fearing she would never see him again, the Beast's safety was all that mattered now.

Only a few feet separated them, now inches, and then just before she could take his paw, Gaston appeared from his shadow, and bashed him in the head with his makeshift club. Belle's scream echoed throughout the forest as the Beast tumbled awkwardly down the roof, fearing he would fall to his death, but a gargoyle broke his fall and he became wedged behind it. "Beast, get up! Oh please get up," she pleaded, but he did not move, and much to Belle's horror, she could see a small pool of blood forming beneath him.

"YOU," she shouted as she grabbed Gaston's shirt as he climbed over the balcony, trying to push him over the edge so he would suffer along with the Beast, but she couldn't move the behemoth and had no success in hindering his climb at all.

"Why Belle, I didn't know you cared," Gaston said mockingly. "Now let me show you what real strength is." He grabbed her and threw her as hard as he could back into the Beast's bedroom. With no villagers to witness, he was free to be as cruel with her as he wanted. There was a fine line between putting a woman in her place and beating her senseless, sparing her such an assault when she called him a monster back at her home where the villagers could see. He couldn't afford to lose any standing with them.

"You killed him! You monster, you killed him!" She spat as she eased herself up. Her momentum was stopped as she was slammed into a broken piece of furniture, but she barely acknowledged the pain as she was filled such a blind rage and a strong desire to see him suffer. All she wanted was to be left in peace with her beloved Beast, and as soon as her father was alright to travel again, she would have come back to the castle and never left.

"That's what you do with animals," Gaston cruelly informed her as he casually strolled into the room, savoring his power over her. "They exist solely for our benefit: for food, for their skins, for trophies on the wall."

Her mind conjured an unbidden image of the Beast's head in a prominent position of the tavern wall; soulless marble eyes watching men toast Gaston for his great hunting ability and prowess. Without conscious thought, she grabbed a chunk of wood from the broken bureau and charged with a wordless cry of rage. She would not allow the Beast such an indignity and wanted to give Gaston an idea of the indescribable pain within her heart.

Gaston grabbed the makeshift weapon just as she took a wild swing and tore it from her hands. "Who do you think you are lifting even a finger against ME?" He growled, surprised and angered over her boldness. It was bad enough when men had previously sought to tear him down from his throne, but a woman?

"You killed my love," she growled back, standing her ground though she stood defenseless before him.

"What did you say?" He demanded. When he accused her of having feelings for the creature, he never quite imagined this.

"I love him. I love him with everything I am. I love him as a woman should love a man, just as he loved me."

"You've gone mad."

"Are going to incarcerate me like my father?" She was no longer afraid of him or anyone. The Maison de Loons would not break her, nothing and no one would break her. She loved a beast, and in turn had the heart of a lion.

"A gentleman tries to save his lady before anyone else, does he not? No, I will show you mercy and try to remind you of your civilized past before Mssr. d'Arque get his hands on you."

"Mercy," she spat in his face. "I'd prefer death. You don't know the meaning of the word."

"But that would mean reuniting you with your precious animal, something I cannot abide." He wiped his cheek clean and glared dangerously at her, putting fear into her heart though she didn't dare show it. "No, you will not see your pet for many, many years to come. What I did to him was merciful, because the fate in store for you is much worse."

"Monster," she repeated, slowly backing up as he approached, looking for a way to try and escape him. If she could make a mad dash and stay out of his reach as she ran toward the balcony, maybe she should try to safely slide down the roof and try to escape. She knew the castle inside and out and Gaston did not.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," he said, moving in quickly before she could react and used pressure points on her neck to knock her out. "For now, I suppose, I'll have to beat it out of you." He tossed her over his shoulder as if she was a bag of flour and carried her out of the castle, unmolested by the enchanted objects as they feared for Belle's safety if they interfered. He mounted his horse and rode away, ignoring the sudden and mysterious lights appearing all around the castle as he took his captive home to Molyneux.

The Beast was not dead as Belle feared, but his injuries were severe, making him unable to get up. Every effort was a struggle with an unwilling body, no matter how strong his spirit was. "Enchantress, I beg you, do whatever it takes, but save Belle. Keep her safe from harm, and I'll do anything, anything in return!" She never revealed herself, but beams of light suddenly rained down upon him as he was lifted into the air. Was she going to carry him to where Belle was so he could save her from that barbarian? He felt his injuries magically heal but he remained exactly where he was, and when he struggled to move, he was locked into place as his limbs were controlled by some outside force. Strange sensations went through his body, very similar to those on that fateful night when the Enchantress cursed him. Had she answered his prayer? Was she ending the curse on her own terms so he could save Belle? He wasted no time exploring his new body when he was placed back onto the roof with his humanity restored; he climbed the roof shingles with great speed, until he reached the balcony and climbed over. "Belle? Belle?" His voice sounded so strange, so soft compared to the growling baritone he had for ten years. No one answered and his heart began to pound as he saw the bureau more broken and damaged then it was six hours ago. He concluded that Belle and Gaston had some kind of tussle and began to fear the worst. "Where are you, Belle? BELLE?" He ran through the room and out into the hallway, his heart pounding in his ears as unbidden images of Belle suffering under Gaston's hands grew worse and worse.

"Master!" Lumière greeted, surrounded by Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Sultan, all in their original forms. "We are human again, it is a miracle!"

"Belle, where's Belle?" Adam demanded. Humanity didn't mean a thing if she wasn't safe.

The servants looked uncomfortably at each other, unsure if they should tell him the truth, ashamed that they couldn't bring themselves to gather every available servant and jump Gaston in the hopes to free Belle.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Adam demanded grabbing Lumière by his shirt and lifting him into the air. "TELL ME, NOW!"

"That bad man came and carried her away," Chip said in a very bold move on his part. He almost never spoke directly to the master in his entire life, but he couldn't stand there and be silent when the adults were foolish enough not to tell him.

Adam dropped Lumière and knelt before Chip. "A big man, almost like a giant, black hair, blue eyes, red shirt?"

"Yes, he carried Belle out of the castle and onto his horse. I think he was one of the villagers."

"Good boy," Adam clapped him on his shoulder before standing up. "You may have saved Belle's life. Get every man we have, comb the forest, comb the village, I don't care what it takes, just FIND HER, NOW!" He ordered, watching everyone fall over themselves in haste to follow his orders. "I'm going to find you, Belle, I promise, and I will personally ensure Gaston pays for everything he ever did to you."

Belle's ravaged mind would not let her have peace even though she was unconscious and unaware of the world around her. She kept thinking of the Beast and how he was gone, shamefully and sneakily killed by a cowardly man who couldn't defeat him in a fair fight. She was so happy, so content with her life with the Beast; if her father was there, she would have declared her life perfect. When she started to wake up, she found herself barely able to move and speak, and in some dark room that she could barely make out.

"Welcome to your new home, Belle," Gaston said, smiling grimly as Belle struggled against her bonds and could only mumble as she tried to speak. "If you love animals, then I shall treat you as one, and break you the same way. A few days in my care, and you'll be begging to be my wife."

She determined that she was hogtied and gagged with a kerchief and continued to struggle, trying to strain the knots so they would become looser and begin to slip, but she paused a moment to glare in defiance as he claimed she would consent to be his wife soon. She would never become his wife, willingly or forced.

He laughed cruelly, shaking Belle to her core though she refused to give him the pleasure of letting him know.

"Oh but you will become my wife, Belle Bouvier, one way, or another," he promised before leaving her alone and confined within his cellar.

Two days passed and Adam's search for Belle was proving more and more futile. The heavy rain washed away the hoof prints and the hounds were too traumatized from the ten year enchantment to follow a trail. None of the villagers knew where she was, all agreeing that the last time they saw her was at her home, and Gaston had locked her in the cellar. No one had seen Gaston since that evening, and LeFou insisted that Gaston did not wish to be disturbed until he was ready to come out of his home. Perhaps he was mourning the loss of Belle, or the corpse of the Beast to skin and mount in the tavern, though everyone was assured that the Beast was dead, and the village was safe. All the while, Adam was slowly going mad with grief, physically and verbally lashing out at anyone who approached him, though he sincerely regretted his actions and was quick to apologize. The Enchantress never once revealed herself, and he knew she was gone forever and would not help him. He and the others must be human because Belle declared her love for him before the last petal fell. Finding her and saving her from danger would be the entire castle's responsibility and theirs alone. "Belle…" he fell to his knees with his face in his hands as he cried, wondering how he would find the strength to continue on without her, knowing she was in such danger.

For two days, Belle remained bound in the cellar, with very little water and no food forced inside her, but her mind remained strong. She would not break, she would not consent to be his wife, and she would stand firm against whatever torture the asylum would bring. She had to remain strong for the Beast; she couldn't dishonor him with weakness. Gaston never once mentioned the body, so it must have remained at the castle; otherwise he would gloat about it, or worse, show her the skin or the head detached from the body, to hurt her and break her spirit. She was certain the servants buried him and did the best they could to build an elaborate tombstone to honor him. Her father was never mentioned either, so he was safe from harm, though no doubt in tremendous pain from finding her and losing her again in such a short amount of time. Not for long, Papa, she silently vowed. I will escape, and I will find you again.

At dawn of the third day of being confined in his cellar, she awoke to the heavy sound of Gaston's boots tromping down the stairs and glared up at her captor as he stood over her.

"I promised you I'd show mercy, and here it is: if you marry me, all will be forgiven and I promise to take care of you, as any husband would. Refuse, and I will personally give you to Mssr. d'Arque, who will make you his personal project. I told him of your affliction, and he said he would take great pleasure in curing you. What do you say, Belle?" He untied the kerchief and she promptly spat in his face, summoning all the moisture she could muster in her mouth as he offered her the bargain.

"Never," she growled.

"You even sound like an animal. Hasn't your time back in civilized society reminded you of who you are?"

"Civilized society keeps a prisoner locked in a cell, not tied up like a dead pig in the butcher's meat cellar, waiting for the carving knife."

"Then a carving knife you shall get," he said as he removed the hunting knife from his felt and cut the rope that bound her. He never expected her to have the strength to promptly sweep her legs beneath him, making him trip, and then grab the knife from his loosened grip. Not even his horse had this much strength when he had broken the wild beast to his will by starving it for three days before riding it. "What do you plan on doing with that knife, Belle?" He taunted as he stood up, ready to go back on his word to Mssr. d'Arque and just beat her senseless until she was dead. "You don't have it in you to kill a man. You're too soft and sensitive to kill a chicken for dinner."

She stood before him with her feet planted wide, the handle gripped with two hands as she held it out before her. "Try me," she warned.

"As you wish," he accepted, before suddenly lunging at her, expecting her to panic and run away, but she stood her ground, though she closed her eyes and looked away, and the knife was suddenly buried to the hilt in his chest, puncturing the heart. He dumbly stood there for a moment before falling backward, wondering how he could have lost the ultimate fight to a woman, especially a woman like Belle.

When Belle felt a warm liquid cover her hands, she turned to face Gaston, surprised to see it was his blood gushing from his body and then numbly watched as fell to the floor. There was no doubt about it, he was dead, and she had killed him.