Beauty's Beast

For Belle

Damien

I awoke the next morning, finding Belle gone. I got up and made my way downstairs. I heard a beautiful voice singing. I followed the sound to the kitchen, finding Belle, dancing around the kitchen as she prepared breakfast.

I stood there watching as Belle made sang while Teacup followed along with her. It was nice to hear something in the house. The first month I barely spoke, then slowly talked to the objects. I never how lonely I was until I came here. Silence becomes loud when you're around it always.

Since Belle came into my life, I found myself enjoying her company more each day. I smiled as I returned to change my clothes.

*******
Belle

I hummed as I poured pancake batter into the waffle iron. I closed the lid as I waited for the waffle to cook. I fried bacon in a pan, searing it to a brown, then placed the cooked pieces onto a plate. Once the waffle cooked, I removed it, pouring the batter into the waffle iron again.

I finished cooking the bacon, then turned off the stove. I grabbed a plate, removing the other waffle from it. I placed some bacon on both plates while grabbing juice from the fridge. I poured a generous amount into two glasses. After I finished, I carried the plates to the table. I returned to retrieve the glasses, putting them next to the dishes.

I finished setting up breakfast as Beast entered the dining room. He saw the plates near each other. I stood there, smiling.

"I figured we could sit next to each other and have breakfast instead of you are eating way down there," I said, gesturing at the other end of the table.

"I think that will be fine," Beast said.

I smiled as Beast sat down in one chair, and I sat down in a chair next to him. Beast ate, and I bit into a piece of bacon, noticing it wasn't pork.

"That's odd," I said.

"What is?" Beast asked.

"The bacon is beef," I mentioned.

Beast looked at me as I looked at him curiously.

"Do you not eat pork?" I questioned.

"No," Beast answered.

"How come?" I asked.

"Because I'm half-Jewish. We celebrated Christmas growing up because of my mother, and Hanukkah because of my father," Beast informed me.

I looked at Beast with surprise.

"Is that why you quit celebrating the holidays?" Belle asked me.

"Besides of disinterest in the holidays, growing up with two religions played a part," Beast said.

"But you kept to one religion," I mentioned.

"Yes," Beast replied.

"I find that fascinating," I said as I ate breakfast.

"I never understood why, but my father explained when you love someone, you compromised. I refused to compromise with anyone until now," Beast said as he ate.

I smiled.

"I appreciate that everything that you did for me," I said.

Beast looked at me with surprise. "I have never had anyone appreciate me," Beast said.

"Perhaps you never gave the person a reason. We do for people, not because we expect praise, but because it's a good thing to do. Even if people don't appreciate your action, it doesn't matter. You do it because it's the right thing to do. That shows your character," I explained.