Title: Promises

Rating: M for adult themes, but nothing explicit. Probably could be considered a strong T, but I rated it M just in case.

Disclaimer: Beauty and the Beast and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement. I only use them as a means to de-stress myself.

Summary: What if Belle and Beast did not get their happily ever? An alternate ending based on the 2017 remake. What if Belle was forced to marry Gaston to save Beast's life? Will Beast/Adam be able to save her? What will happen if he does?

Chapter 1

"It's too far!" Belle cried.

Whether he did not hear her or whether he was determined to get to her, Belle did not know. She watched in fear as the Beast took a running leap from the rooftop he stood on towards her. He almost didn't make it, his claws grasping the edge of the stone. Somehow he managed to pull himself up, his feet finally landing on the hard surface. Belle breathed a sigh of relief. As he stood before her, Belle thought of all the things she needed to say. She wanted nothing more than to be safely in his arms.

"You came back," he said.

"Of course I came back."

"Why?" He asked.

Belle opened her mouth to answer when a gunshot rang out. The Beast stumbled forward, falling down the steps in front of him. Belle screamed.

"No!" She shouted. She looked over to one of the other towers where the sound had come from. Gaston stood with his gun still raised, pointed at the Beast. Belle did the only thing she could think to do to protect him. She threw her body against the Beasts, shielding him.

"Do you want to die, Belle?" Gaston shouted.

"Leave us alone!" Belle replied.

She buried her head against the Beast's fur. She could still feel his body rising up and down with every breath. He was still alive. She heard a thud from behind her. Belle looked up. Gaston had somehow made his way from where he had stood to the balcony of Beast's room. She saw him eye the rose. Belle knew she had to protect it at all cost. If the last petal fell, Beast would be doomed forever.

"Move aside, Belle," Gaston commanded, standing over the her and the Beast.

"No!"

"Do you care for him so much that you'd give your life for his?" Gaston asked.

"I won't let you kill him."
Gaston grabbed Belle's arm. She tried to resist him. She clung to Beast to protect him, but Gaston was too strong. He pried her away from the Beast, flinging her aside. She fell hard on the stone.

"Now I'll show you what happens to beasts when Gaston is around."

Gaston pointed his weapon at the Beast once more. Belle scrambled to her feet and raced to where Gaston stood. She pulled on his arm.

"No, Gaston! Please! Don't!"

She didn't know if pleading with him would do any good, but she couldn't just stand by and let him kill the Beast. She couldn't bear the thought of not having the Beast in her life.

"What will you do if I leave your beast alive?" Gaston asked, turning towards Belle. His gun still trained on the Beast's lifeless form.

Belle scrambled to her feet. "What?"
"If I leave him here alive, you must do something for me. What will it be?"

"Anything," Belle whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. She knew very well what Gaston was going to say next.

"Then you will marry me," he stated, punctuating every word.

Belle took a deep breath. "You must promise not to hurt him."

"I don't think you are in any position to be making demands," Gaston said.

"If you promise not to hurt him, I will…I will marry you, Gaston," Belle replied.

Gaston smiled. Belle's heart broke. She hated the words that she was saying, but she had to save the Beast. She knew he would have done the same for her.

"You know, this all could have been avoided if you just said yes to me the first time. This is how it always should have been, Belle. You and me. Husband and wife. Say it, Belle. Say that we will be husband and wife."

"We will be husband and wife," she managed to say although she choked on the words. She kept her eyes on the Beast, hoping that he would somehow rise up and save her. But he was hurt. Not even a Beast was strong enough after being shot twice.

Gaston gripped Belle's arm, pulling her against him. He hugged her awkwardly, his whole body engulfing her, making it difficult to breathe. Tears fell from Belle's eyes. Gaston began to drag her away.

"Please, let me say goodbye," she begged.

"You're mine now," Gaston stated. "You will not think of him any longer."

Gaston yanked her arm, forcing her to follow him. Belle took one last look at her hurt Beast.

"I love you," she whispered. "And I promise somehow we'll find each other again. I promise!"

Gaston dragged Belle out of the castle, but she barely resisted. She felt numb. But she had made a deal and she would not go back on it.

Belle gasped when she saw all of the castle's objects she had grown so fond of standing on the front steps. They weren't moving. They were no longer alive. Belle struggled against Gaston, trying to get to them so that she might find out what happened, but Gaston picked her up by the waist and carried her to his waiting horse. The rest of the villagers had already fled, leaving Gaston and Belle alone. Gaston practically threw Belle onto the back of the horse and she let him. She had no fight left in her. All she could think about was her Beast lying on the cold floor with no one to help him. Had she damned herself for nothing? She forced that thought out of her head. If there was even a chance that Beast could live, she had done the right thing.

"We shall go to town and have the priest marry us at once," Gaston announced, climbing onto the horse behind Belle. He wrapped one arm tightly around her, using his other to grab the reins. "And if you even try to escape or try to back out of this…well, my dear Belle, consider your beast dead. Do you understand?"

Belle did not reply. She simply nodded. Her fate was sealed.

When they got back to the village, it looked all but deserted. Everyone had clearly rushed home and locked themselves inside their homes, afraid of the castle that was "alive." Gaston hitched his horse outside of the church and pulled Belle with him into the small building. He didn't even bother to knock before bursting through the door.

"Père Robert!" Gaston bellowed.

The man appeared in the room, holding a glowing candlestick and wearing his nightdress. The candlestick made Belle think of Lumiere sadly.

"Belle," Père Robert said. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Belle and I are to be married," Gaston explained. He had a firm grip on Belle's arm. "Now."

"Belle?" The priest questioned.

Belle could not bring herself to speak. Instead she just nodded.

"Just do it," Gaston stated.

"I…I will not," Père Robert replied.

"You are the priest in this village. You must marry us," Gaston said.

"I don't know what you've done to this poor girl to get her to agree, Gaston, but I will not marry you. And I suggest you let her go before the whole town sees what you've done to this girl."

"Belle wants to marry me," Gaston told him smugly. "Don't you, Belle?"
"I have agreed to marry him," Belle said, locking eyes with the priest. He had been her closest ally in their small village. Somehow she knew he would understand that marriage to Gaston was not what she really wanted.

"You see. She agrees. Now marry us," Gaston commanded.

"I don't care what she says, Gaston. I will not do it."

Gaston let go of Belle and grabbed the priest by the collar of his nightshirt. He dragged the man closer to him so that their faces were only inches apart.

"You do not want me for your enemy," Gaston said.

"We will find someone else to marry us," Belle piped up. She could not bear to see Père Robert hurt. He had been nothing but kind to her. "Maybe in the next village."
"I forgot how smart you are, Belle." Gaston let go of Père Robert. "That will have to change after we get married. Come on."

Gaston grabbed Belle's hand and they left the church. Père Robert followed them, shouting.

"You won't get away with this, Gaston! Help! Everyone…help! Gaston is taking Belle!"

"Keep your voice down!" Gaston spat.

A few windows began to open. Belle saw the faces of the villagers she had never disliked, but never felt close to either. She doubted any of them would help her. No one would stand up to Gaston. Just as quickly as their windows opened, they closed again.

"Tell me what I can do," Père Robert whispered as Gaston looked from house to house, warning them with his eyes to mind their own business. But, he was ready for a fight if necessary.

"It's alright," Belle assured him, brushing a tear from her cheek. "Thank you for your kindness all these years."

"But there must be something. I don't know why you've agreed to marry him, Belle, but I know it's not what you want."

"Just please tell my father that I'm sorry and that I love him," Belle said.

"That's enough talking," Gaston stated.

Gaston picked Belle up and placed her on his horse. He got on behind her and they raced out of town.

"Where are we going?" Belle asked as the wind whipped around them. She felt the cold of the night seeping into her bones. She wished she had the Beast with her to keep her warm.

"Somewhere where no one will ever find us," Gaston answered, laughing into the wind.

As they rode off, Belle heard the howl of wolves. It made her think of Beast again. He had rescued her once, but she did not know if he would be there to rescue her again.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! This is the start of what I think will be about a 20 chapter angsty, dramatic, and romantic story. Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite Disney movie since I was 6 years old. The live-action version (which I absolutely loved) inspired me to write this story. Please don't forget to review – I really appreciate comments! I'll be posting the next chapter sometime soon!