AN: Some ideas are from other Beauty and the Beast works but I most likely will not copy everything from anything other than the 1991 film.

Chapter Twelve

12.1

Maurice brought Adam a cup of tea as they sat in the inventor's cottage together. Maurice had drawn Adam a bath and given him a clean shirt to wear although he and the young prince were different sizes. Adam brought the cup to his lips and sipped with a nod of gratitude. "So, you said that the story was long and difficult to talk about?" he asked and Adam nodded. "And you being human for twenty-four hours or until midnight or whatever the deal was was to make up for the pain that you suffered?"

"Yes," Adam said as he leaned forwards and then dragged a hand through his hair. "As much as I want to enjoy being human, if only for a day, I can't really feel very much."

Maurice hummed, "If you were human I'd definitely hire you as my apprentice. Imagine how many machines and inventions that face could sell," he joked with him and Adam looked down with a weak laugh. "So where's this arrogant and spoiled boy that you told me about."

"I guess I used to be him," Adam said softly. He looked away nervously and Maurice stared at him, studying him, "Maurice," he whispered before looking up and then closed his eyes and cringed. He was too scared to say it. He was too scared of Maurice getting angry at him and tossing him to the side like some rotting trash.

"Adam, are you o-"

Adam looked at the inventor as Maurice motioned towards him, concerned for how Adam was acting and Adam had to admit that he was a little concerned as well but for how Maurice would treat him if he told him the truth. "I finally know from the time I've spent with you…I can finally understand…I hope you don't mind me saying this but…I now understand how a boy can love their father because I know that I love you as if you were my own dad."

Maurice stared at him and walked over to hug him, Adam put the tea down on the table and sat straight unsure what to do. Maurice wrapped his arms around the boy and smiled more as Adam returned the hug. Maurice sat down beside him. "Adam, I wish that I were your father," he told him and Adam smiled as he looked down. "I do love you as if you were my son or my nephew," he said and Adam smiled but blushed as that was told to him. "I wish that I had a way of making this easier for you. I wish we had more time but we both know it's important to plan how to return you to the castle before you transform back."

Adam nodded sadly but heard a knock on the door, he sat up straight with widened eyes before taking a quick glance at the door. His heart started pounding faster and faster and he began to hyperventilate through the fear that maybe it was one of those men who were looking for him. Maurice saw this and placed a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Wait here," he said in a supportive manner. "I'm going to make sure to check on what's going on."

Adam nodded. He watched as Maurice walked away and then blinked confused as Maurice opened the door to find the enchantress standing on the other side. Maurice stared at the woman before starting to sob and Adam moved forwards not wanting for Maurice to hurt. He wanted to protect him but the prince heard words which he wasn't expecting.

"Ro-Rosalind?" he asked and Adam stared between the two of them. Did Maurice know the enchantress? "What are -"

"Maurice," she said before casting a hand in Adam's direction, "I was searching for him," she said and Adam looked between the two of them. What was going on here? "I cannot return here but I learned that he had learned love and kindness although I don't think that he has fully leaned his lesson."

"Adam is a very kind boy," Maurice said before shaking his head, "I'm very happy that I have met him but I thought that you were…dead…" he said and Adam looked between the two of them. "I never stopped loving you."

"I never stopped loving you but I don't have the strength to return as I am, I would like to see her though," the enchantress said and Adam froze before looking to Maurice.

"I'll fetch Belle for you," Adam said but the enchantress stopped him and put her hand on Adam's shoulder. Maurice quickly said that he would bring his daughter.

"I thought that you knew that I…that I knew Maurice," he said and saw the enchantress with tears in her eyes. He hadn't seen her like this before. He had seen a frail and bitter hag who he had laughed at and apparently that was the justification for turning him into a beast.

"Maurice is my husband," the enchantress replied, "I knew that you had love for a fatherly figure and the love had a location here but I didn't think that he loved you like a son as well but…your curse…" she said and Adam turned to her.

"I don't know how your magic works but instead of breaking my curse do you mind breaking the curse of those at the castle? I am willing to learn my lesson but I don't want them to be further burdened because of me. I want to make things right," Adam told her and the enchantress stared at him.

"I will give you day but I cannot give you night but I will break the curse on the castle," she said before swirling her wand and Adam stared at his hands which seemed to glow and his chest seemed to tighten inwards slightly. Still he couldn't think any longer because Belle had rushed out and she stared at the enchantress in front of her before running and throwing her arms around the woman.

Adam stepped backwards until his back was against the wall and he fell down to a seated position. He wasn't sure what was happening but he felt the warmth and love from the family and he could look down without hatred for this woman. He didn't know what she had meant by giving him day but not giving him night but he was going to enjoy this human body for as long as possible.

12.2

Mrs. Potts stared at her body as it seemed to shake, she felt as if she were about to explode and the fine china about to crack. She took a deep breath in but found her spout to decreased in size but there were four growths that appeared and turned into two arms with hands and two legs with feet. She started to feel dizzier until she had fallen to the ground and instead of being a teapot she turned into a human woman. She stood slowly and looked around as she patted her body down. Human again. After all this time? But then did that mean that Adam had fallen in love and so fast? Was it supposed to happen that fast?

Mrs. Potts looked around and saw Chip as a human boy, she walked over to him and he looked at her nervously before running to her. She wrapped her arms around him before looking around to find that there was far less furniture and household objects and more people. The suits of armor had become real guards and there were servants gripping their heads around them.

She got up slowly before taking Chip by the hand to where she and the others always met. She hugged Chip close to her as she stared at Lumiere and Cogsworth. They were all in their human form. "What happened? Did the curse break?"

"I mean as dashing as we all knew he could be, I doubt that anyone would have fallen in love with him with so little time," Lumiere commented as he kept glancing into the window. "I am happy to be human again but I don't think that the answer to us changing back is love."

"If it's not love then I only imagine that it would be a termination of the curse another way," Cogsworth told them and Lumiere and Mrs. Potts looked at him in a pained manner. They didn't want to hear what they presumed he'd say. "Master Adam is dead."

"It does seem so," Lumiere told them sadly. "I wish it had come another way however…"

"I don't want to think about it," Mrs. Potts refused. "And if he is…Adam is dead….we need to respect him and his memory but I truly hope he isn't."

"Does it matter?" Cogsworth asked not realizing how that sounded until after he had said it. "We're human again and….and I mean I wish he wasn't dead but…but given the circumstances."

"Yes," Lumiere nodded, "I wish it had come another way," he repeated.

12.3

Adam looked out of the window of the house wondering if Maurice was going to take him back to the castle. He looked at Belle who had been reading whilst lying on the floor and now had rolled over, her book forgotten, and her mouth open as she slept. Adam sighed and got up with a pillow.

"Hey," he said as he knelt opposite her, he carefully set the pillow down and guided her towards it before grabbing a blanket and tucking it around her. He heard her snore and so chuckled softly. "Okay, that should keep you warm."

"Adam, you're so…pretty," Belle said in her sleep and Adam laughed again whilst smiling. He wondered if Maurice would say it would be the best idea to leave after Belle had woken up. As he entered the room, Adam gave a sad smile.

"Are we going soon?" he asked and Maurice walked over to him.

"Only if you want to," Maurice said. He sat down next to Belle so that he could look Adam in the eyes. "My wife, the enchantress as you know her, she explained to me that the curse on your castle has been broken but she was not able to break that curse and your own without you having experienced romantic love." Adam nodded, he had figured that would be the case with him but he was happy that the castle inhabitants had been released.

"So, we should leave soon," Adam said and Maurice looked at him firmly.

"Although you haven't experienced romantic love and so you are still to be cursed, you have experienced familial love so you have been released for the daytime but at night you will take on your beast form. When you do find someone to love you must have them accept both parts of you otherwise you will return to a full-beast when you turn twenty-one."

"I also learned that the memory of you and what happened to you has been erased from the memory of all who were involved apart from you. So, would you like to stay here and see how it feels?"

Adam stared at him, "I'll turn into a beast at night," he told Maurice who nodded.

"And that's the way that I've seen you most. Adam, you have to persevere," he said and Adam smiled before looking down. As much as he wanted to live with Maurice and Belle he felt that he at least owed the castle staff an explanation to his disappearance. Maybe after that they could find some way of him spending his time as a human with Maurice and Belle.

End of Chapter Twelve

Thank you for reading

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Eleven

DarthLeia19, KathyMesser, LoveShipper, RomanticLover1, Savannah246810