Beauty and the Beast

Chapter Fourteen

This chappy is short but I thought it was a big enough event that I couldn't add more too it.

Chapter Fourteen:

"I am relying on you to provide both of our pistols," Adam growled at Gerard, who seemed mildly annoyed at his tone.

Isabelle was standing behind Adam, one of his hands extended behind him, clutching her nightgown.

"Of course," Gerard snapped. He had brought out two dueling pistols from him house which was only a short distance from where Isabelle had passed out the night before.

The sun was almost completely over the horizon, and there was a cool breeze. Isabelle shivered, very aware of how scantily clad she was. She blushed and buried her head into Adam's back, oddly comforted by the warm fur that greeted her.

After a few moments Isabelle heard a very gravely, feral sound coming from somewhere deep inside Adam. She tensed and the noise stopped. When she relaxed and leaned into him it restarted.

"Are you purr-rring?" Isabelle asked into his back, pretty humiliated with the question.

Adam seemed to purr louder and nodded his head. He tried to keep their intimacy discreet enough that Gerard wouldn't notice. Isabelle remained like an extension of Adam while he carefully watched Gerard load both of the pistols with one shot.

"Might as well make this as official as possible," Adam grumbled, "Neither one of us has a second present. Do you agree to this?"

Gerard met Adam's eyes and glared for a second before nodding curtly. Gerard finished both pistols and handed one of Adam.

The gun felt strange in his hands. He had recieved gun shot training in his adult life, but his arm was too long, his fingers too long. Everything was off because his body was morphing into an animal!

He turned to Isabelle, and cupped her face with his hand/paw. "I don't want you anywhere near the line of fire, Belle. You hear me?"

Isabelle nodded.

Adam turned back to Gerard and nodded. They walked to a small clearing and faced each other.

"On the count of ten," Gerard snarled.

The Man and the Beast turned away from each other and counted.

"One," they both took a step forward.

"Two... Three... Four... Five..."

Isabelle was standing next to a tree, grabbing it to keep her knees from buckling.

"Six... Seven... Eight..."

Isabelle's attention was diverted because she thought she saw some movement in the direction of the road.

"Nine... Ten!"

Gerard and Adam turned to face each other simultaneously.

Two shots went off... one right after the other.

Isabelle's blood rang in her ears when she heard the sound of bullet ripping through flesh.

"Izabelle, grab onto me," Cecile's voice was in her ear and Isabelle's heart seemed to restart. She opened her eyes just as another shot rang through the forrest.

Isabelle looked and her eyes immediately focused on Adam's beastly body. He was on the ground, a deformed hand covering a wound in his abdomen.

"No!" Isabelle's scream split through the trees and everyone's attention turned toward her briefly.

Lumiere knelt down next to Adam, lifting his head onto his lap."Master, we are here. Try to calm yourself and breathe."

Isabelle was not fighting against Cecile, she let Cecile hold her weight as she simply took in the scene before her even more.

Cogsworth seemed to be a frozen statue. His right arm was extended straight out in front of him, the gun he recently shot was steaming at the end. Gerard's body was in the grass about ten feet away from him.

"Isabelle?" Lumiere called and the sound drew her attention right to him. He looked pale, and scared. His hands were covered in dark red blood but he continued to press them into the wound on Adam's side. "He wants you by him."

Cecile helped walk Isabelle over to Adam. When she knelt down beside him she noticed he had tensed up and closed his eyes.

"Uuuuugh," Adam groaned trying to not arch his back against another pain of his transformations.

Before Isabelle's very eyes more fur sprouted from all over Adam's body. The only thing she really recognized was his blue eyes, now open and staring at her.

"Belle," he growled, but started coughing.

Cecile noticed Isabelle was in nothing but her nightgown and draped her traveling cloak over her shoulders. Isabelle reached out and held Adam's furry hands in her own, letting her tears fall down on him.

"Belle," Adam said again as Lumiere grabbed another cloth and breifly exposed the wound Gerard had inflicted.

She had to quickly look away, up to Adam's face before she lost her stomach. "Adam, I'm here. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see."

Adam tried to breath and said, "Listen to me. I must tell you why I made you come live with me."

Isabelle was frozen, simply staring at him as he explained.

"I have a curse," he got out before another tremor of pain was evident. "A woman who had my heart but wanted my money gave it to me. She also gave me a Rose, ahhh!" Adam's face contorted in torture and Lumiere continued to add pressure to his wound.

The thought that Adam wouldn't make it dawned on Isabelle for the first time and she leaned down and kissed his hands, willing him to stay alive. "Adam don't talk, just try to stay alive for me."

"No, you need to know," Adam coughed, "I promised you..."

"Adam," Isabelle cupped his furry cheek with her hand. A large tear rolled down his cheek and she wiped it away. "Please..."

"The Rose," Adam could barely speak, "wilted when you came that night. It m-meant so-s-something."

"Shhh," Isabelle was at a loss as to what to do next. She locked eyes with Lumiere briefly and he nodded before slowly stepping away. Cecile also gave her her space. Isabelle took the hand that was holding his face and applied pressure to the wound, soaking her hand in his blood.

"Belle," Adam growled. They looked into each other's eyes, and Isabelle's heart felt like it had stopped beating the moment she saw the life slip away from his.

"No," Isabelle cried and cradled Adam's upper body, massive as it had become, into her lap. "Please don't leave me alone, Adam..." Isabelle's body shook with a sob.

Lumiere and Cecile embraced and Cogsworth fell to his knees and cried.

"I love you," Isabelle whispered against his fur. She closed her eyes and was shocked with the force of her tears.

She rocked Adam's body back and forth as she let all of her emotions and grief overwhelm her.