DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, everything (including my soul) belongs to Disney and Victor Hugo.

Belle sat, looking out the window of her rented room, and fiddled with the old family ring on her finger. It was still early, and the sun had yet to rise.

She had one more dream that night. She was back in her Papa's workshop, where she had spent so many restless nights throughout her stay at Frollo's manor house. This time though, he handed her a real rose, still wet with dew, and he kissed her gently on her forehead, saying "I'm so proud of you, ma petite belle."

She knew deep down that it was the last dream of its kind.

Someone knocked softly on her door. She turned her head, and Esmeralda and Laverne entered the room, Djali happily trotting behind.

"I told you she would already be awake!" Laverne said, hobbling over and hugging Belle. Belle returned the hug, smiling delicately.

"We've had the cook prepare you an early breakfast, its waiting downstairs for you."

"Can you even eat dearie? No matter, you still want to have something in your stomach. Can't have you fainting at the altar!"

It was, after all, her wedding day.

Belle nodded, and joined the ladies for croissants with tea and jam. Afterwards, Laverne bustled Belle in and out of different rooms, from a long bath to fixing her hair and face. It felt almost like getting ready for the Christmas ball all over again, but at least this time she had Esmeralda to keep her entertained with stories and jokes.

Laverne spent week working on the dress, and boasted it was her best design yet. As Esmeralda and Laverne pulled her into it, Belle couldn't help but agree. It wasn't nearly as voluminous as fashionable dresses most woman wore, but flared out nicely from her cinched waist, whispering softly on the floor. Roses embroidered in gold thread decorated the bottom of her cream skirts, and the satin top of the dress came down to half sleeves with lace fringe. It was a dress fit for a princess.

Esmeralda had found (she insisted she didn't steal it) a circlet of gold, and placed it on top of Belle's twisted up hair, holding the veil in place. She glanced at herself in the mirror, not really processing anything. All she could think about was him.

Clopin, the gypsy ringleader, had assembled a small band to accompany them to the cathedral. Once out of the public house, Esmeralda and Laverne escorted her on either side, and in a merry procession they assembly made their way to Notre Dame in the early spring light.

They had decided that Belle and the ladies should rent a room close to the Cathedral, while the men would take the tunnel to the church. After Quasimodo had refused the King's offer to claim the throne, the King had generously let them keep the manor for themselves.

"Think of it as an early wedding present," he had said with a wink.

He couldn't come, of course, but sent his fond regards and promised to fund whatever lavish honeymoon the couple desired, and to visit as often as he could. Belle could tell this meant a lot to Quasimodo, but she secretly doubted how well the King would keep his promises.

That left Gaston to take the throne, but Belle wasn't as concerned as she once was. His head injury caused memory lapses, according to a letter from Lady Girardeau, so while he was as awful as ever, his advisors would probably run the country when the time came.

Soon, almost too soon, they were at the doors of the cathedral. Two deacons opened the doors on either side, welcoming them in. The gypsy band went on ahead, their pipes and drums echoing over again and again in the vast marble room. Laverne followed after giving Belle a peck on the cheek, sighing happily, and then it was just Belle and Esmeralda.

The gypsy nudged her. "Nervous?"

"I feel as if I'm either going to lose my breakfast or all the butterflies in my stomach are going to explode out of me. Either way it won't be pretty."

Esmeralda laughed. "Oh come on, he isn't that bad!"

"It's not him, it's just…all those people staring…I know we tried to keep it as small as possible but there are just random strangers wandering around in here…maybe we should have done it somewhere else."

"Nowhere else would have meant as much though, right?"

Belle sighed. "I suppose."

"Just keep your eyes on Quasimodo. You'll be fine."

The troupe started playing a different tune, a wedding march, and with a last hug Esmeralda led the way, tossing apple blossom petals and goldenrod to line the way for Belle.

She took small steps, trying to keep her head high. She kept her eyes on her feet, making sure she was walking in a straight line. She felt more than saw the assembled audience rise to their feet, and she finally gathered the courage to look at her groom.

There he was, standing by the Archdeacon in new suit, Phoebus in full uniform on his left, a teary-eyed Victor and Hugo standing to the side. Their eyes met, and Belle felt a wave of relief as the rest of the world faded away.

She was still getting used to his new appearance. No, he wasn't the handsome prince out of a storybook - in her eyes, he was better than that. Although the transformation was drastic, he still looked like himself in some way. His hunch was mostly gone, and his strong legs were straight instead of bowed. His face was more even, not quite as squished or stretched, but he still had his big button nose.

He had admitted to her that he had asked the Enchantress to just heal him, not give him a new face. He thought she was a little generous where that was concerned, but he didn't really mind. He still had a bit of an overbite, his hands were still rough and large, and his face was best described as "craggy," but he loved it all the same.

Belle's favorite thing was catching Quasimodo looking at himself in mirrors around the manor, or him awkwardly bumping into objects, unused to his new height. True, he was only as tall as Belle now, but he still marveled at his new body.

When he had first transformed on that terrace a few levels above them now, he spent the first few moments examining his new body, gaping as he took in his legs, his back, his face, touching everything. Then he had turned to her, standing straight for the first time in his life, and he smiled at her with so much surprise and joy she felt like she could burst into tears all over again.

"Belle…it's me!"

She had walked cautiously up to him, and gently cupped his face, staring into his eyes and not speaking. She honestly couldn't think of anything to say. He stared back with so much hope in those same pine green eyes she had come to love so well.

"It is you…Quasimodo, how-?"

But she never got to finish the question, as he swept her up into a kiss, as sure and secure as an embrace. He was tired of hesitation, and promptly asked her to marry him once they broke apart.

As winter thawed into spring, their friends made preparations for a real wedding. After all, between the King and Frollo a real marriage never took place, and everyone agreed it was high time to fix that little mistake. And now, Belle was gliding down the aisle, smiling at the man she loved best in the world.

She finally reached the altar, and Quasimodo held out his hand. She gently placed hers in his, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You look beautiful."

"So do you" she replied, smiling and releasing his hand. As the Archdeacon began to chant in Latin, the two kneeled in front of the altar, eyes cast downwards as the prayers and psalms floated through the air.

For Belle, the ceremony continued in a blur, and all she focused on was Quasimodo's warmth beside her. Towards the end of it all, she heard two sets of feet running up the stairs, and as they rose for the first authentic time as husband and wife, Victor and Hugo rang the bells as loudly as they could, scattering pigeons and doves in the rafters.

The newlyweds invited the entire wedding party, including as many gypsies as possible, to a wedding feast back at the manor. As the food came and went and the drinks flowed, Esmeralda, Phoebus, and the servants all shared different parts of the couple's tale, sometimes shouting over each other. Clopin would interject slurred commentary whenever a part wasn't quite to his liking, making little changes to the story that made everyone holler with mirth.

Everyone was laughing merrily and enjoying themselves thoroughly, and every once in a while Belle and Quasi's eyes met and they started smiling ridiculously all over again, both hardly believing their luck. Neither had hoped that their story would have such a happy ending.

As the night wore on, Esmeralda and Phoebus started to usher people out and back to the city to give Belle and Quasi some privacy as they made their exit to the West Wing.

When Belle woke up the next morning, snuggly wrapped in Quasimodo's arms, she turned to face him and study his sleeping face. It was most definitely still his face, but maybe how it should have been, before kings and curses and spells. Tentatively, she traced his features, taking in as many details as she could.

"Are you memorizing me?" he said softly, his eyes still closed.

"No…I already have you memorized by heart." She closed the distance and kissed him gently. "Good morning."

He clasped her hand in his, and kissed her palm. "Good morning, my love. So, what now?" He stretched and then leaned on one elbow, looking out the window. "We can go anywhere, live out whatever story we like. Go face pirates in the Mediterranean, see the wonders of the New World…we can go anywhere now! I can go anywhere now! All you have to do is say the word and we'll go."

Belle paused and thought for a moment. "I think I thought of about 17 different lives for us when we were still trapped here, and I just don't think any of them will do now. You've been given a new chance at life, and in a way I have too. When I thought you had died, and didn't know how I was going to go on with my life. Now that you're here, I couldn't care less about what you look like or what we could do, all I want is to stay here in your arms forever." His expression melted a little, and he wrapped her back in his arms, stroking her hair.

She listened to his heartbeat, returning his embrace, and said "We get to imagine our own story together now, right? And I think that will do just fine for now."

The End

Wow wow wow! I can't believe it's finally over, I have many feelings and they're too numerous to express here. Thank You though, to each and every one of you for reading and following along, despite typos, despite the long waits in between chapters, and despite me probably making this more convoluted than it needed to be. You all are wonderful and I hope you receive all the happy endings you could wish for, even if they aren't quite how you imagined them ;)