Adam saw, at first, only the light. It shone around him in a brilliant glow of white and gold. The warmth that surrounded him like a soft blanket lifted him, and he hung, weightless, in the air. He could feel as his form began to shift and change.

Even as the shift from human to beast had been fraught with agonizing pain, this shift was soothing, even calming. He could feel his limbs elongate, the muscles lengthening and normalizing.

It is to be Heaven, then, he thought vaguely. I thank thee, God, I do not deserve this great grace. The horns faded from his skull and he felt the length of his own hair fall in warm waves on his shoulders. Human shoulders, now. The great beastly musculature of his animal self was gone, now, replaced with the form of a man.

The warm golden light that held him aloft set him gently down on his feet, and he stumbled slightly, unused to the weight of this new form. He was so used to the great, mighty weight of his Beast. These legs of a man felt strange and new to him, these hands seemed so foreign.

A figure stepped toward him, a face framed in light and beauty. It was an angel, he was sure. He blinked, trying to see the face, unsure of where he was or what he saw.

The light began to fade away and then dissipated, flying away from him. He became acutely aware of his surroundings. This was not heaven, but home. He was whole and it was not an angel who stood before him, but Belle.

She was in his arms, then, and he grasped her tightly to him. Her lips were on his, and he inhaled her like a man who had drowned, taking in air for the first time. He wondered at the feel of her in his arms. She had felt delightful when they danced, but this was incredible – so rare and sweet and beautiful!

He let his hands drift to her neck, to her hair, to her back, even as the rain faded away and stardust and magic surrounded them.

"It's you," she whispered, and tears filled her eyes. Such beautiful eyes should not be marred with tears. Oh, that he could kiss each tear away, he wished absently, as he stroked them with his thumb, even then marvelling at the strange and wonderful sensation of it.

"Yes," he laughed, and kissed her again!

Even as they kissed and laughed and tears of sorrow became tears of joy, something occurred to him.

"Belle," he whispered, as he held her tightly to his chest. "Wherever is your dress?"

She laughed, then, the sound of it as sweet as the first time he ever heard it.

"Somewhere near the fountain in Villeneuve! It was in the way and slowed me down and I needed to get to you." Suddenly her smile was gone. "They were going to kill you, Adam." She looked at him fiercely. "I never meant for any harm to come to you!"

Adam placed a finger on her lips.

"I know," he answered. They heard laughter trickle up from the courtyard, and the morning sun shone through the window, bathing them in its glorious light. There was much work to be done, but they might live happily ever after, after all.

The End.

Author's Note: Although I had originally intended to make this story a few chapters longer, I have decided to end it here, as this feels like a delightful, unforced place to end my fanfic, and it does dovetail very neatly into my m-rated sequel, Stay The Night.

Thank you all so very much for reading and for leaving such amazing reviews. It has been an absolute pleasure to write this piece.