Belle quietly trekked back to her bedroom, already dreading what's going to be in store for her as soon as she crosses the threshold. There's not a doubt in her mind that Gaston is going to punish her in some way.
Perhaps if I beg and apologize, I might be forgiven, Belle thought with a shake of her head. Especially if I beg. she added.
Far too soon, she reached her bedroom door. Belle took a deep, calming breath, squared her shoulders and knocked on the door. She heard a gruff "enter" and turned the doorknob. Against her will, her breath hitched in her chest in anticipation for her inevitable consequence.
She entered the room and shut the door behind her. Slowly, she turned around to face the fuming beast.
Belle kept her back to the door as her husband, seated in a large armchair and his features obscured by the roaring fire, glared at her.
"Come closer," he commanded.
She jumped at the sound of his voice, but obeyed. She took short, steady steps before she stopped just a few feet before him. Gaston slowly stood up, his shadow lengthening and towered over Belle. A part of her wanted to cower, to give him the satisfaction of her fear; but another, stronger part forced her to stand her ground and put on a brave face. Gaston closed the distance between them and wrapped a hand around her throat. She gasped in surprise while her hands instinctively reached up to push him away; then she remembered her earlier plan and relaxed.
"I'm sorry," she managed to breathe out.
They were quiet again. Belle pleaded with her eyes, lifting a shaky hand to caress the one gripping her neck, still trying to appease him.
Eventually, Gaston's hold on her also relaxed. He moved his hand to rest it on her cheek. She closed her eyes and (reluctantly) leaned into his touch.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I don't know what I was thinking. I promise, I'll never do it again."
Her husband's eyes narrowed in suspicion, reading her face to determine if she's telling the truth. Luckily, his expression softened and gave her a small smile. Gaston framed her face and leaned in until his lips were mere inches from hers.
"See that you don't." he said quietly before closing the small distance between them.
For the first time in a long time, she kissed him back. Her heart tightened in her chest; recoiling from the unwanted kiss and then started to beat hard and fast in protest. Her mind in turn argued that this was the only way to gain his trust back, find the knife and finally break the rest of the spell.
But no matter what the reasons were, she didn't feel right about the deception. If there were any other options, Belle knew she would've taken them in a heartbeat. But no matter how many times she thought it over, no matter the different angles she looked at the problem, there were no other conceivable solutions.
Gaston eventually pulled away and led her to a chair. His entire demeanor changed; he now looked calm and collected, like he knows something that she doesn't. Belle focused on maintaining a neutral facade. She sat down as he started to pace in front of the fire.
"LeFou just told me something very...interesting earlier this evening," he said after a long moment of silence.
Belle's heart stopped. "O-oh?" she managed to breathe out.
Gaston looked down at her, a smirk growing on his face. Belle willed herself not to hyperventilate. He bent down until his face was level with hers. They stared at each other for a long time.
"He told me," he whispered. "That he saw you and Adam together in the garden...embracing each other."
Belle's eyes nearly widened in panic. Luckily, she caught herself before she betrayed herself.
"Were you and Adam in the garden together, Belle? Were you two embracing each other? " Gaston asked. He trailed his fingers across her face, trying to get a reaction out of her.
Despite Gaston's outward appearance, he was certainly not stupid. He knew how to manipulate people into doing what he wanted them to do. It was the one thing that Belle truly feared about him, the only reason why she allowed herself to enter into a loveless marriage and learned how to bury her emotions.
When Belle didn't give a reaction, Gaston narrowed his eyes and his smirk transitioned into a sneer. With a sudden burst of bravery, she lifted her chin defiantly, daring him to take action. Once again they stared each other down. With a grunt, Gaston stood up again. He turned his back to her and glared into the fireplace.
"Adam and I were in the garden together, but we were talking about my father," Belle said finally. She rose from her chair and stood behind Gaston. "Papa is still sick; Adam thinks he won't be back to normal until next spring."
Taking a deep breath, Belle wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her cheek on his back.
"I'm sorry that he's staying for so long. I know it's difficult to have him around straining on your good will...but he'll be gone soon. I promise," Belle said quietly. She lifted herself onto her toes, kissed the back of his neck, and released him.
She walked towards the door. "I'll be in our room." she announced. Ever so quietly, she opened and closed the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Belle walked down the hall until she reached her door. As soon as she was safely behind it, she released the breath that she was apparently holding. She rested her forehead against the door, closing her eyes as her mind went back through the day. It felt too surreal to have actually happen, yet she knew, without a doubt, that it did.
Behind her, she heard a rustling sound. Belle pushed herself away from the door and turned around. A shadowy figure stood near the wardrobe, which for some reason was open.
Slowly, she walked towards one of the lanterns and lit it. The room suddenly burst with light. A hard thump and a muffled "ow!" revealed the identity of the figure.
"Adam? What are you doing here?" Belle asked.
Adam drew himself from the wardrobe with a guilty look on his face. He walked towards Belle, resting a hand on her cheek.
"I was looking for the knife," he admitted.
She nodded. Belle looked behind her back at the door. She grabbed his hand and tugged him behind her.
"You have to go," she said.
"What? Why?" Adam wondered.
"I...I sort of made amends with Gaston. I told him that I would be in here and he's probably on his way right now," Belle put her hand on his mouth. "It was the best thing I could think of to look for the knife. He's already supscious of us, I don't want to make him anymore."
"So we have to stop seeing each other until one of us finds it," he said.
Belle looked up at him sadly, and nodded again. Adam grabbed her face and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
"This will be all over soon, I promise." he announced. Belle smiled before pushing him out the door.
She can only hope that everything will change again, this time for the better.
