Author's Note: My original intent in making this story was to give the Prince a real name. Disney actually refuses to give him an official name, although some of their products call him Adam. I also just never liked that name Adam for him, so I chose to rename him. If you aren't happy about it, that's okay. Just please don't message me or review just to say I got the name wrong. It was on purpose, not a mistake ;)

"Once more, before bed?" The prince asked gently as he stood just outside of Belle's room in the east wing. He was still in his clothing that was tattered from his battle with Gaston, and still not totally believing all that had happened just an hour or two ago. Life was going to be completely different now.

She laughed softly before granting his wish, leaning up to kiss him one more time. It was an innocent peck, but to the prince it was an invigorating reminder. Not only that he was human again, but that he was immensely happy with this woman. "Now enough, to bed with you Prince — " She cut herself off, seeming suddenly confused. She looked up at him, an expression of mystification on her face. "Y-you never told me your name." She had only ever called him the Beast, and sometimes the prince. But no real name had ever been said. How could that be?

He sighed softly, "It's David. Prince David, like my father before me. I'm not particularly fond of the name, so I never mentioned it."

It made sense to Belle then. Of course he wouldn't want to share the name of the man who had hurt him so much in his life. "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. And you've no need to be afraid of him anymore. If David is your name, then David you shall be." She said kindly, holding his hands in hers. "I think it's a lovely name. It fits you well. It means 'beloved' I believe. And that's truly what you are. You are our beloved." She didn't want to take full possession of him as her beloved. After all, everyone in the castle loved him. And his mother had too. She could not take sole ownership over the love felt for him.

"I'm starting to suspect your wisdom is beyond your years. Are you sure you're not under some sort of spell yourself? " He said playfully, making her laugh. "Truly. You amaze me." He said on a more serious note.

"You act as if you are not a marvel yourself. Look at you, your ability to change. To find your true happiness. I would say that's pretty remarkable." She said truthfully.

"We work well together then. Two people who overcame incredible odds just to be together, yes?" He said, trying to hide the fact that he was stifling a yawn. She gently nudged him, "Go on, go to bed already." She insisted.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep in the west wing?" He offered.

"Yes, I'm sure. I think we both need at least a night to recover from all of this. You most of all. Dying and coming back to life can really take a toll." She smirked.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, but … just one more?"

She stood on her tip toes, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him for a few moments before letting him go.

A Week Later

"Father was hoping to come by later this evening." Belle said softly to her prince as the two sat reading in the front hall before the fireplace. It was finally summer on the estate after having been locked in an eternal winter, so there was no more need for the fireplace. But it was still where they liked to read together. Now that life was a bit calmer, less chaotic, they spent a great deal of time there. They had written down a long list of all of the books they each enjoyed, exchanged them, and were slowly crossing them off. Belle was reading through Paradise Lost while the prince was reading A Midsummer Night's Dream. "Oh good, he's planning on staying for dinner I presume?" He asked casually. Neither of them were bothering to look up from their books, partially because they were both so intrigued by their readings.

"Yes, if that's alright."

"Of course. This will be a good chance to redeem myself in his eyes. I feel … pretty guilty for how I treated him before." David said humbly, his blue eyes shifting from the dusty page to the window. He gazed at his estate before him, remembering who he was just a week ago. Belle looked over at him with concern, hoping to catch his eyes, "You can't haunt yourself with your past. Please don't guilt yourself for your old mistakes." She pleaded. He looked over at her, seeing the worry written all over her face. He reached a hand out toward hers and held it tight. "Thank you." He said gently. She simply smiled and squeezed his hand.

...

"I really wish you had said something sooner, we certainly won't have time for the beef ragout or cheese souffle now." Chef Bouche said a bit irritably. He wrung his hands with concern. Belle had neglected to inform the staff immediately about her father's appearance for dinner. The main staff were all standing about in the kitchen around Belle who had just announced that her father would be arriving in a couple of hours. Mrs. Potts tried her best to reassure both the Chef and Belle, "It'll be just fine, don't you worry dear. Chef, why don't we make the ratatouille? We were going to make it tonight anyway."

"But for a guest? Our guests deserve the best!" Lumiere interrupted, "Ratatouille couldn't possibly be good enough, especially not for as esteemed a guest as our beloved Belle's papá."

"That's very sweet of you, Lumiere. But truly, my father will be overjoyed with whatever is served. I have total confidence in Chef Bouche to make an outstanding meal, whether it is ratatouille or chicken noodle soup." She smiled, giving the chef her vote of confidence. He smiled proudly, "It is true."

"And Mrs. Potts, I know that you're going to make the best tea in all of France."

"Oh well that's very kind of you dear, I don't know if I'd go that far." Mrs. Potts said humbly, not wanting to admit to her talent.

"So don't worry everyone. It's going to be great no matter what. I have total faith in all of you to amaze him like you amazed me." They all beamed proudly. "Except, maybe let him get a chance to actually eat the food." The room burst into a fit of laughter.

...

There was a knock at the door. Belle was still getting dressed by Madam Garderobe. Which meant the prince had to answer the door. He really didn't want to, but he knew he would have to. The rest of his staff was busy preparing for the dinner. David proceeded to the door, and with a slightly shaky hand he grabbed the handle and swung the door open. Maurice stood before him, seeming a bit nervous himself. His eyes had been resting far higher, seemingly expecting the same seven foot tall beast he had seen before. But his eyes started to slip down until he met the prince's.

"Hello," David said, his voice getting a bit raspy and deep with nerves. He found that a side effect of having been under the spell for so long was that instead of his voice getting squeaky or high pitched when he was nervous, it dipped into his old beast tone. He could force it out every once in awhile, but it more or less came without being summoned. "Excuse me." His pale white cheeks flushed ever so slightly as he moved to the side, gesturing in, "Forgive me, please come in, Maurice." It occurred to him too late that it would have been more polite to address him as "monsieur"

Maurice stepped over the threshold, "Why thank you …" He paused and made a couple of muttering sounds before finally articulating, "I don't think I ever learned your name. I'm so sorry. That's incredibly rude of me."

The prince waved it off nonchalantly. He was hardly surprised. When he had been cursed, he almost forget his name. But he made a point of reminding himself who he was every day, if only to make himself suffer more in those dark days. He would stare up at the painting of his family and whisper the name of his mother with affection and curse his and his father's name. "It's David." He finally said after a sufficiently awkward pause.

"A fine name indeed. Well, David, I'm glad to finally meet the real you. Belle's told me just about everything that happened. I apologize for —" Maurice started but David immediately cut him off, again forgetting his decorum, "Don't apologize for anything. If anyone should be apologizing it's me. I should never have treated you the way I did." His eyes pleaded forgiveness.

"You were a different man back then, and not just physically. That man did the wrong thing. The man before me has done only good by my daughter. And if anything, we should all be grateful that you did lock me up. If you hadn't, well, we wouldn't be in the happy place we are today." Maurice said sagely. David smiled slowly, having never considered the positives that had been a result of a chain of events. Was this destiny? Had it all been fate? He wasn't sure. But he knew Maurice was right. But before he could say so, he noticed Maurice suddenly look past David and grin. David followed his gaze toward the stairs where Belle was coming down in an exquisite lavender dress with a plain pleated skirt that draped to the floor. Unlike the more popular dresses of the day and age, she had no masterful ball gown and corset. It was a simple affair for her. Madame Garderobe knew her preferences perfectly.

"Papá!" She cried happily, jogging down the last couple of steps until she could launch herself into her father's arms. She had sent a letter his way after the events the curse was broken, but had not seen him until now.

"Oh, Belle, you look fantastic. You look just like your mother." He said lovingly as he squeezed her in a tight hug before letting her go.

David was stupefied by her. Not by her beauty, but by the happiness shining through every pore of her skin. Her delight at seeing her father and being with David was obvious. She took David's hand then, "Come, I think they might be done getting ready." She suggested, nodding in the direction of the great dining room. The men followed and as they strode in they found that, somehow, they were indeed prepared for them. Cogsworth bowed as they entered the room, "Welcome your majesties. May I seat you?"

"I hardly think that's necessary, Cogsworth." David smiled, a laugh in his tone.

"Well, if you insist." Cogsworth said, seeming a bit offended as he sniffed a bit too loudly. "But the least I can do is seat our guest." He said, pulling a chair out near the head of the table for Maurice, who sat with a gracious, "Thank you."

Little Chip barrelled out from the kitchen then, making a beeline for Maurice as Belle and David sat down. "Hullo, Monsieur Maurice, do you remember me?" He said, barely able to get his words out fast enough.

"Let me take a guess," Maurice said a bit playfully, "You're the little teacup aren't you?"

"That's right! My name's Chip, pleased to make your proper acquaintance Monsieur!" He said, reaching out and shaking the man's hand vigorously. Mrs. Potts came in then, "Sweetheart, you were supposed to just ask if they wanted tea, not go pandering for attention." She laughed as she walked over and picked up her little boy. "As he was supposed to say: Is everybody ready for a spot of tea?" They all agreed in unison.

After they had all been served their tea, David invited Mrs. Potts and Chip to sit with them and enjoy their company. They spent a great deal of time listening to Chip explaining in his innocent childish perspective how all of the previous events had occurred. He obviously was missing a great deal of details, but he was so cute that nobody interrupted.

Finally, it was time for dinner. Lumiere tried to make a big deal out of presentation, but seemed a bit irked that he could no longer put on as spectacular of a show as he did when he was a candelabra. Belle was not surprised to see that their plates were holding ratatouille. She had secretly been hoping for it. Again, once they had been served, David invited all of his friends in the castle to sit with them. They all congregated in the dining room, merrily eating away at the delicious food that the chef had made for everyone. Maurice was thoroughly enjoying himself, getting to know everyone. It was an interesting mix of stories being exchanged. It was very clear to Belle that there could never be a drop of ill will between anyone in the room. Everyone seemed so particularly fond of Maurice, and it thrilled her. Her life couldn't have been more perfect, or so she thought.

…

"I'm sorry, I really cannot stay up any longer." Belle said, standing up from her seat before the fireplace. They had pulled a third chair up to it so that she, David, and her father could chat around the fire after the sun had set. The men were enjoying glasses of brandy and Belle was exhausted. She could also tell that they needed a moment to bond, and they had already had enough brandy that they didn't need her as a conduit to make things more comfortable.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Belle." Maurice said, smiling up at her daughter. David stood to escort her, but she shook her head. "I'll be fine, thank you though. Good night, David." She said kindly, kissing his cheek before heading up the grand staircase to her bedroom.

The fire crackled unnecessarily. The night was not altogether cool, but it was certainly dark enough to need the light. The rest of the castle had retired to their own rooms for the night, so David was unconcerned about his nosy friends eavesdropping on their conversation.

"This is a lovely home you have, David." Maurice said, taking a small sip of his brandy. David thanked him kindly as he sat back down in front of the fire. "I have to ask, is Belle planning on staying here?"

He was put off by the sudden question, gagging a bit on his brandy. "I — I don't know. I was actually hoping to talk about that myself." He didn't realize this was how this was going to happen. He had pictured it a bit differently. "I don't know exactly what her plans are. As far as I can tell, she seems to like it here. I don't know if she wants to head home or stay here. But one way or another, after all that we went through when — well, you know —" He stopped, taking a moment to breathe. He couldn't speak properly. He gave himself a moment to get a grip and finally said, "I would like to have your blessing to marry your daughter. I know it may seem very rushed and sudden, but I truly believe that after all we have been through we've come to know quite a bit about each other." He was talking too fast, so he forced himself to snap his jaw shut before his voice broke into a deep beastly growl.

Maurice was watching him carefully, his expression not revealing anything as he swirled the brandy in his tumbler. David looked up at him, his anxiety obvious in his expression. "I know that your situation is, to say the least, unique. However," He paused, mostly for dramatic effect, before concluding "I see no problem with it. You have my blessing to marry my daughter." He smiled fondly. It was not the liquor talking, Maurice was genuinely happy for them and had suspected this from the letter he had received from his daughter. She had sounded happier than he ever remembered her being. She belonged here, that much was obvious. And Maurice rather liked the idea of having David as a son-in-law. He was clearly a respectful, kind young man. He knew that he would be just the kind of man who could be a good partner to Belle. The two would surely accomplish great things for the kingdom.

Four Months Later

Leaves were scattered across the bridge as the young couple crossed over the creek in his garden. Summer had faded out and been replaced by a more bracing fall. It was mid October now, and David and Belle were strolling out in the evening sun. Belle had her red cloak on over a soft gray dress. It wasn't cold to David, but he knew she had a tendency to get chilly quite easily. They were walking through the garden, admiring the view. They spoke little. As they walked through the hedges they sat down under the same tree they had many months ago. When he first realized that they may have more in common than he had previously suspected. As she sat down she reached out and held his hand, looking about them at the beauty of the fall colors surrounding them. "We're a bit like them, aren't we?" She asked him without looking away from the leaves bobbing in the breeze above their heads.

He followed her gaze up to the leaves, smiling a bit to himself. "How do you reckon?"

"Change." She said simply. She hardly had to say more, he knew just what she meant.

"I suppose we are then, at least in that way. Our colors have changed." He said softly, watching her in fascination. She finally seemed to come down from her contemplation of the nature around her and looked to him with a soft smile. "For example," He continued, "I never expected to find love. But you changed that." He said, gently squeezing her hand before letting it go. He stood up, facing the tree before them briefly with his back to her. "Change can sometimes be a terrifying thing. But sometimes … well sometimes it's just what we need." He turned to her again, expecting her to say something. But she was simply listening and watching him, looking as if she was trying to decipher what he was saying. After a brief pause he sighed softly and smiled. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his overcoat and got down onto his one knee before her. He expected her to start crying, but she didn't. She simply smiled, not saying a word. He pulled the small box out and opened it carefully. Inside was a silver ring that twisted into a ruby red rose.

"Belle, words truly cannot explain my love for you. No poet, not even the good Bard himself can help me. It would be all too easy to read you a pastoral, tell you that no goddess or queen is as fair as you are. But you are so much more than that. You astound me every day with your brilliance, passion, and kindness. And every day that goes by, I fall more and more in love with you. I want to spend each day with you, watching this love blossom. Belle, will you marry me?" He finally let the words glide right out from between his lips. The scariest part was the one second between the final question mark falling out and her response. It was exactly one second before she said, "Yes. Of course."

His entire body relaxed with relief. He removed the ring and gently placed it upon her ring finger as she held her hand out. Only then did a single tear fall down her cheek. He stood again and she fell into his arms, holding him close. Now she knew, she couldn't get any happier. She had everything she could ever want in this world: family, friends, and the love of her life.