Belle stood staring into the full-length mirror, running her hands over the curve of her burgeoning abdomen. Winter had melted into Spring, and she was now showing. Now there could be no doubt that she was carrying a baby. The morning sickness was finally gone, thank goodness. Instead she now had swollen fingers and ankles. She'd had a little scare at one point when she'd been unable to remove her wedding ring. Finally she'd managed to grease herself up enough with butter that she could wriggle the ring from her finger. She'd been terrified to put it back on, so Gaston had bought her a gold chain and she now wore it around her neck.

Belle had worried at first about how Gaston would react to her changing body, but if anything the undeniable evidence that she was carrying his child only seemed to make him more amorous. Her husband entered the room and found her studying her reflection. "Difficult to look away from something so stunning, isn't it?"

Belle rolled her eyes. Gaston came up behind her and slid his arms around her. He placed his hands flat against each side of her stomach. His lips found the tender spot behind her ear and teased enticingly. She leaned back into his sturdy frame and her eyes fluttered closed. Gaston swept her off her feet and laid her on the bed. He laid down next to her and continued his ministrations. Just as Belle was about to lose herself in her husband's kisses, she felt a strange, new fluttering in her abdomen. She sat up abruptly. Had she imagined it? No! There is was again.

"Belle?" Gaston sat up to examine her face.

"I...I think I just felt him move for the first time." They had fallen into a bad habit of referring to the baby as "he," but Belle supposed that was better than "it."

Gaston grinned like a schoolboy. "Really? What does it feel like?"

"Like a tiny prodding inside."

"Do you think I could feel it?" Gaston placed a hand on her stomach. "Where?"

"It's very subtle, I doubt you could feel it yet." She propped herself against the headboard and slid Gaston's hand over the spot she'd felt the movement.

"There, did you feel it?"

Her husband frowned. "No."

She pressed his hand a little harder. "How about then?"

Gaston shook his head. Belle tried to kiss the disappointed expression off his face. "I'm sure it won't be long now till you can feel it, too."

Her husband laid his head on her belly and began talking in a way that had now become a ritual. "Hello, baby, this is your Papa. I hope I get to feel you move soon. Your maman and I cannot wait to meet you."

Belle ran her fingers through her husband's hair and he continued talking to their child. She sighed contentedly and before long the deep timbre of Gaston's voice lulled her to sleep.

Gaston woke to a pounding on their front door. Apparently he and Belle had both dozed off. Belle rolled her neck back and forth, stiff from falling asleep propped up. LeFou's anxious voice called from the kitchen.

"Gaston! Come quick! There's an emergency in the village!"

Gaston sprang from the bed and pulled his on his boots as he was running through the house. "What is is LeFou?"

Belle came up behind him, struggling into her own shoes.

"Tom was under a wagon trying to fix a broken wheel. The stand broke and the wagon fell on him. The axel is crushing him, we can't get it off him."

"Lead the way."

Gaston was aware of Belle trying to keep pace with them as they ran through the village. He thought of telling her to go back home, but there was no time to argue. She was puffing as the wagon came into view. Four men, including Dick and Stanley, were gathered around the wagon trying to lift it off Tom, but it wouldn't budge. Gaston and LeFou added their strength to the group and the wagon lifted as easily as if it were made of paper. Two men let go, grabbed Tom under the shoulders and dragged him out. He groaned. Gaston helped the men lift him and carry him into his house for the doctor to examine. He stood by the bed watching the physician work. Finally the doctor proclaimed, "A few broken ribs. It will take several weeks for him to heal, but he'll be alright. It could have been so much worse."

Gaston headed back to find Belle. "You should not have run here like that," he scolded.

"I know, but I was scared. What did the doctor say?"

"Broken ribs, he'll be fine."

"Oh, thank goodness."

Gaston slipped and arm around her and led her back towards home. LeFou and Stanley fell in beside them. "We never would have managed to lift that wagon without you, Gaston. We were all trying and it wouldn't move an inch," LeFou said. Stanley nodded fervently.

"Of course," LeFou continued, "you probably could have lifted it all by yourself."

Gaston shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."

Belle gaped at him. "Gaston, are you being...humble?"

He looked at her sidelong. "Just honest. I don't know whether I could have lifted the wagon alone or not."

Belle smiled at him. "We both know you could have. I've seen how strong you are, with your crazy log-throwing exercises."

Gaston just rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged again.

"Normally you would be trumpeting it to the entire village."

Gaston stopped and turned to face her. Her words stung, even more so because she was right.

"That's true, Belle, but...I want to be a better man. Not so prideful. Not so vain. For you. And the baby."

Stanley cleared his throat and elbowed Lefou. The two of them continued walking. Tears were shining in Belle's eyes, but she was smiling. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You are a good man. The best husband ever, remember?" She tickled his ribs. "You're going to be a wonderful father as well."

Gaston tried to swallow around a lump in his throat. "Sometimes I think back on how I used to be, and I'm just so disgusted by the man I was…"

"Don't," Belle interrupted. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is now; the man you are now. The loving husband you are, the caring father you will be."

Gaston pulled her into his arms, her belly was starting to make it a bit difficult. "Thank you, Belle."

"Come on, silly man. Our friends are waiting for us, let's go and have tea."

Gaston followed her back into the house feeling lighter than air.

A/N: Thank you for your continued support and reviews. You make me smile. :)