Chapter Text
(FADE TO BELLE, CHIP, PHILLIPE, AND A HIDDEN FIFE TRAVELING THROUGH THE BLACK FOREST IN SEARCH OF THE *PERFECT* CHRISTMAS TREE. IT'S DARK, LATE- BITTERLY COLD AND WINDY. WOLVES HOWL AND PROWL IN THE DISTANCE- COGSWORTH AND LUMIERE SEARCH FOR BELLE AND CHIP, LUMIERE AT ONE POINT 'SNOW-CLOCKING/CLOCK-BOARDING' ON COGSWORTH'S BACK BY ACCIDENT...
FINALLY, AT LAST, FROM ACROSS A LARGE FROZEN LAKE, CHIP SPOTS IT- BIG, GRAND, GREEN, AND *BEAUTIFUL*. AS IF TO FURTHER PROVE ITS' WORTH, FAINT MOON AND STARLIGHT SPARKLES ON THE SNOW DUSTING IT.
CHIP: "THERE! *That's it- that's it*!"
"Oh, Chip- *it's PERFECT*!" BELLE SMILES.
CAREFULLY, PHILLIPE PULLS THEM AND MONSIEUR AX OVER ACROSS THE LAKE TO THE TREE.
"It's *the BEST* tree EVER!" CHIP CHEERS WHEN THEY GET A CLOSE-UP LOOK.
BELLE QUITE AGREES. "Chip, you're right!"
MONSIEUR AX: "MERRY CHRISTMAS, and a *Happy Hanukkah*!"
BELLE: "Ooh, we'd better HURRY! It's getting pretty stormy..."
*THUNK*!! *THUNK*!! SHE AND MONSIEUR AX GET RIGHT TO WORK, STEADILY CHOPPING AWAY. THIS TIME, MONSIEUR AX POWERS THROUGH DESPITE HIS HEAD ACHING.
OVER BY THE SLEIGH, STILL HIDDEN, FIFE FIDGETS AND FRETS. "Ohhh- I gotta *do SOMETHING*! Forte's *counting on me*...!"
ONE MORE 'THUNK', THEN A SPLINTERING CRACK AS THE CHRISTMAS TREE-TO-BE SLOWLY FALLS AS CHIP CRIES OUT "*Timber*!!" *FLWUMP*!!! IT LANDS HARD ON THE SNOWY GROUND.
BELLE TAKES A HOLD OF IT AND LUGS IT TO THE BACK OF THE SLEIGH BEFORE TYING IT SECURELY THERE WHILE CHIP LAUGHS IN DELIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME, FIFE IS BUSY TRYING TO *UN*-DO SOMETHING- THE BOLT CONNECTING PHILLIPE TO THE SLEIGH. HE STRAINS, GRUNTS, AND SWEATS UNTIL SOMETHING GIVES HALF-WAY.
BELLE: "*TAKE IT AWAY, Phillipe*!"
SHE TAKES A HOLD OF MONSIEUR AX AGAIN AS SHE AND CHIP HOP BACK IN, AND PHILLIPE STARTS ON HIS WAY BACK TO THE CASTLE. FIFE TRIES TO FOLLOW, BUT GETS TANGLED UP AND RUN OVER- THEN FLUNG YELPING HEAD-OVER-HEELS ONTO THE ICE, RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE LAKE.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, BELLE IS *VERY* SURPRISED* TO SEE HIM. "*Fife*??!"
FIFE [nervously, trying to be casual]: "Uh- *hi, Belle*! Nice- tree! He-he!"
"What are you doing *way out here*??" BELLE WANTS TO KNOW.
*YIKES*. FIFE'S NOWHERE NEAR SURE WHAT TO SAY! "Uh... *nothin'*! I was just- WALKING! I mean, I *LOVE the bitter cold*! I mean...!"
PHILLIPE REARS NERVOUSLY- FRANTICALLY, FIFE ONCE MORE EMITS A LOUD PIERCING 'DOG WHISTLE', WHICH STARTLES AND SCARES THE LARGE DRAFT HORSE SO BADLY THAT HE *STOMPS RIGHT THROUGH THE ICE* AND BREAKS IT! BREAKS *AWAY FROM* BELLE, CHIP, AND THE SLEIGH AS FIFE SCRAMBLES TO CLIMB ONTO A PIECE OF ICE IN ORDER NOT TO SINK...!)
There was a room-wide horrified gasp, Belle's stomach knotting and sinking as she got a *VERY BAD* feeling owing to her onscreen self and ['oh, *horror, horror, HORROR*!!!'] Chip.
("*Phillipe*!!" BELLE CRIES IN SHOCK AND FEAR, MUTTERING "*Oh, no*!" AS HE AND THEY QUICKLY GET SEPARATED, FLOATING ON DIFFERENT LARGE PIECES OF ICE.
THE TREE'S ROPE STRAINS- UNRAVELS- THEN SNAPS.
CHIP: "*The TREE*, Belle! We're gonna *lose the tree*!"
AND THEN, SUDDENLY, AS THE TREE PLUMMETS INTO THE LAKE... SO TOO DOES *CHIP* FROM THE JOLTING OF THE SLEIGH ON THE BROKEN ICE!!)
"*CHIP*!!!"
It wasn't just onscreen!Belle who screamed in fear and horror as she frantically looked through the churning frost-crusted waters of the lake for the little teacup/five-year-old boy. Beatrice and Alaric Potts went ghost-white in the face and clutched even tighter onto their precious just-as-scared son, who would surely have *NIGHTMARES* by this point no thanks to those horrid 'Odd Sisters'...
Everyone sans certain people watched in fear, horror, and worry with squirming knotted stomachs and pounding hearts as onscreen!Chip tumbled head over heels down into the lake while attempting to cry for help just after the slowly-sinking big pine tree. Little offscreen!Chip shivered and whimpered- and not just from fright. He felt *icy-cold*, as though HE *WERE in that deep dark scary lake* himself...
Lucinda, Martha, and Ruby yelped, shrieked, and whined at the sudden painful feeling of *THEIR noses* growing *longlongLONG*, then glared over at a fiery-eyed white-lipped Pinocchio, who had just waved and flicked his new wand at them upon hearing and observing sweet tiny bouncy cheerful Chip shivering and shaking as though from BITTER COLD the moment onscreen!Chip fell into the previously-frozen solid lake. Chiara, Adam, and Jiminy choked out a shaky laugh when they saw what he had done.
Then, the moment that onscreen!Belle used Monsieur Ax to chop into the ice so she could grab Chip but then she tripped and *fell in herself*, Belle gasped, coughed, choked, gagged, and struggled to breath as The Price once more reared its ugly head, as though she had also plummeted into the lake- not once stopping.
%"*BELLE*!!"% her parents, aunt, and surrogate brothers yelled fearfully.
*NO ONE* was laughing now, save for the smirking laughing Odd Sisters [though they did cheer and root for onscreen!Belle as she reached out for and caught Chip].
(FINALLY, COGSWORTH AND LUMIERE ARRIVE- AND NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON! FIFE STRUGGLES ASHORE HIMSELF WHILE THE CLOCK MAJORDOMO AND CANDELABRA MAITRE-D RUN OVER THE ICE-CRUSTED WATER...
LUMIERE: "*Hold on, 'cherie'*! We will save you!"
COGSWORTH: "*Oh, dear*!!"
THE ICE IS FORMING BACK TOGETHER, TRAPPING BELLE AND CHIP IN THE LAKE. FIFE PANICS. "*Oh, no- oh, gosh*! Ohno, ohgosh!! *Ohnogosh*! -*OH, NO*!!"
BELLE SWIMS UP AND PRESSES A GLOVED HAND AGAINST THE ICE. FIFE ALMOST SCREECHES AGAIN, BUT STOPS HIMSELF JUST IN TIME.
MONSIEUR AX: "*Oy, oy, oy*!! *HYAH*!!!"
WITH ONE SOLID WHACK, HE BREAKS THE ICE SO THAT BELLE AND CHIP CAN COME UP FOR AIR. BELLE GASPS DEEPLY AND SLUMPS ONTO THE ICE WHILE CHIP EXPELLS A STREAM OF ICY LAKE WATER AND COUGHS.)
Thankfully, offscreen!Belle was saved from further near dry-drowning and Chip warmed right back up. Neither protested being wrapped in a nice soft warm blanket after *THAT scare*, though.
-But why were Jiminy's conscience senses still *SCREAMING* and SHRIEKING at him??? Especially in *PINOCCHIO'S direction*??
(BELLE [weakly, yet relieved and happy]: "*Oh, Chip*! THANK GOODNESS you're safe...!"
NOW THAT THE DANGER'S OVER, CHIP GRINS AND CHIRRUPS BRAVELY, "I- I wasn't scared!")
'*Uh-huh*. Suuuurrree...' Pinocchio said silently towards Chip via his eyes while raising a thin gently-arched dark brow.
The former teacup blushed and muttered while snuggling further into his own special blanket, "-Never mind. I was *REALLY scared*!"
(SUDDENLY, UNEXPLICABLY, THE LOOSE ROPE FROM THE TREE LOOPS AROUND AND TIGHTENS ITSELF ON *BELLE'S FOOT* AND *BEGINS TO DRAG HER DOWN ALONG WITH IT*, TERRIFYING HER AND HER FRIENDS ALL OVER AGAIN!!
BELLE: "*AAH*!! *Oh, no*!! *NO*-!!!"
COGSWORTH, LUMIERE, MONSIEUR AX, FIFE, AND CHIP ALL STRUGGLE AND TRY THEIR BEST TO SAVE HER- BUT ALL THEY MANAGE TO CATCH IS HER GLOVE! SHE FALLS RIGHT BACK INTO THE WATER AND SINKS DOWN- JUST AS A SNARLING FURIOUS BEAST ARRIVES ON THE SCENE...)
Once more, there was a sharp splintering '*CRACK*'; but THIS TIME, coming from *the FLOOR*- *just under Pinocchio's feet*. Jiminy, Chiara, Dafne, Nina, Niccolo, and Geppetto heard it- saw the floor start to break and crack- *like a FROZEN LAKE*...
"*PINOCCHIO*!!! *Get away from there*!! You'll fall in!!" Jiminy shouted fearfully.
"*Fly* if you can't run, 'nipote'!!" gasped Chiara, her face as white as the quasi-cricket's. "*USE YOUR WINGS*!"
Too late. With a choked gagging sharp cry, Pinocchio both fell and was *YANKED INTO* a sudden deep dark lake, hitting his head on the 'ice' as he dropped like- well, a puppet with its strings yanked out.
"'*FIGLIO*'!!!!" Geppetto screamed- no, HOWLED.
%"'*Fratellino*'!!!"% Luke and Cleo wailed, tears blurring their own eyes and streaking down their cheeks as much as their father's. Pussyfoot shrieked and screeched as Figaro held his tiny daughter back.
Adam just *ROARED* in fury, worry, and fear before diving right in himself, swimming *downdowndown* until he reached his Mate, who was dazed yet coherent enough to choke, gag, and burble as he tugged fiercely and frantically at THE NOOSE TIGHTENING AROUND HIS NECK. He was fading fast- running out of air-
The Beast Prince snarled and flexed his fingers, willing his fingernails to shift into *razor-sharp claws* once more. And the moment they appeared, he snicked and slashed that horrible thing off as quickly yet carefully as possible before scooping a numb limp Pinocchio up into his arms and swimming up towards the surface...
And at the same time his onscreen self burst through the ice with a comatose Belle in his arms, so too did he emerge from the water- though HE received more than a bit of help, and Pinocchio writhed, jerked, and drew in a gasping breath as his eyes fluttered open before coughing and retching on his hands and knees. Geppetto flinched and sobbed at the considerable amount of lake-water spurting from his son's mouth and being drained from his lungs. That was *TWICE now* Pinocchio had almost drowned...!
Neither aforementioned boy or his Mate made any effort to protest when a semi-quietly weeping Geppetto pulled the former onto his lap and clasped him against his quivering wailing heart the moment that Pinocchio could breathe regularly again. 'Little Woodenhead' just fell limply against his father's chest and held onto for dear life himself, Pflanze meanwhile comforting her 'ownee'.
"*Oh, Pinocchio*- PINOCCHIO...! 'Figlio mio'- my dear sweet boy- my little woodenhead... *oh, THANK HEAVENS* you're alright!!" Geppetto rasped, burying his face into Pinocchio's thick dark hair no longer as wooden as the rest of him.
The horrifying realization of what had almost happened to him SLAPPED Pinocchio hard in the face- *who had done that to him*, and *WHY*. Hot tears welled up in his own eyes and spilled down his cheeks as he gasped and sobbed from horror and further betrayal and heartbreak.
'You and they are *DEAD* once this is all over with!!!' Chiara snarled inwardly, glaring over at the Odd Sisters and her younger 'sorella' who had tried to KILL her lovable loving nephew- once again *kill HER OWN SON* as well as 'good Geppetto's'. '*Do you hear me*, you "dannazerie" bloody "stranzae"??!!? *DEAD*!! *Nothing but the DEATH PENALTY* for you all...!'
("*Belle*!" CHIP EXCLAIMS IN RELIEF THE MOMENT HE AND THE OTHERS CATCH SIGHT OF HER IN THE BEAST'S ARMS.
BUT NEITHER OF THEM ACKNOWLEDGE THE LITTLE TEACUP- BELLE, BECAUSE SHE'S UNCONSCIOUS. THE BEAST- SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT... HIS EYES ARE BLANK, HARD, AND COLD EVEN FOR HIM, SEEING NOTHING BUT WHAT'S AHEAD. CHIP IS ALMOST STEPPED ON AND CRUSHED, BUT LUMIERE SWEEPS HIM OUT OF THE WAY JUST IN TIME. DAZEDLY, DOLOROUSLY, THEY ALL WATCH THEIR MASTER STALK AWAY WITH PHILLIPE FOLLOWING BEHIND AS SNOW BEGINS TO FALL AGAIN.
FIFE IS HORROR-STRICKEN AND *ENGULFED* WITH GUILT. "O-*Oh, no*! What have I done??! *Ohh, this is ALL MY FAULT*!" HE BEGINS TO CRY, BURYING HIS FACE IN HIS HANDS.
LUMIERE TRIES TO COMFORT HIM. "We *ALL* share some blame, 'mon ami'- for daring to hope for a proper Christmas...")
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(FADE TO BLACK. THEN WE SEE A COLD CLEAR STARRY SKY BEING UNFOGGED BY A CLOUD OR TWO. THE STARS' LIGHT SHINES DOWN INTO THE BEAST'S CASTLE- INTO HIS *DUNGEON*, TO BE PRECISE. BELLE IS THERE, AWAKE, WELL-ENOUGH, WRAPPED IN A BLANKET- BUT QUIET, DOWNCAST. THE BEAST'S PIERCING BLUE EYES SHINE THROUGH THE GLOOM LIKE TWO MORE STARS... BUT THERE IS NO WARMTH IN THESE NOVAS.
BEAST [quietly, angrily- still trapped in the vestiges of Forte's mind-control magic]: "...You said you'd *NEVER leave*."
BELLE SADLY TRIES TO EXPLAIN HERSELF. "I wasn't trying to leave. I just wanted to *make you happy*...!"
BRAINWASHED!BEAST IS NOT THE LEAST BIT MOVED OR TOUCHED. "*You BROKE YOUR WORD*. And for that, you will *rot in this dungeon* FOREVER!"
HE WHIRLS AROUND, STALKS OUT, AND SLAMS THE DOOR SHUT BEFORE LOCKING IT. TEARS WELL UP IN BELLE'S EYES, ONE TRICKLING DOWN HER CHEEK.
BELLE [heartbroken, defeated]: "I should have known you would never be ANYTHING BUT *a BEAST*..."
JUST THEN, MIDNIGHT SOLEMNLY TOLLS FROM THE BELL-TOWER. ALL IN THE CASTLE HEAR IT, BUT NONE SAVE FOR FORTE ARE CHEERED BY THE SOUND.
LUMIERE SIGHS SADLY. "*Midnight*. Merry Christmas, Cogsworth."
COGSWORTH [just as despondently]: "If only *it WERE*..."
FADE TO THE WEST WING, WHERE BEAST IS BEING 'COMFORTED' BY FORTE.
FORTE [faux-sympathetically]: "Ohh, my dear old friend... I *told you* not to feel for her! Things were so much SIMPLER before she came along, before we dared to- *HOPE* again..."
BEAST [sadly- no longer be-spelled]: "I thought- *she was THE ONE*...")
'*NO*- *I'M not*. But *'Nocchi* was and is...'
'*FOOL* that I am!! I should have known *from the start* that YOU were nothing more than a *shallow, vain, unkind, cold, cruel MONSTER*, Ilaria...! "*Grazie a Dio*" that *MOST OF our children* are nothing like you in temperament- but instead sweet, kind, caring, loving, thoughtful, warm-hearted, smart, honest, brave, and unselfish same as their *aunt and uncle*!
'-But HOW I bitterly mourn that *Gastone* *IS like you*: beauty only skin-deep with a twisted dark wicked soul and vile black heart inside. He not only ran away but FAKED HIS DEATH because he was *ashamed of and embarrassed by* me...! -Just as you *CURSED Pinocchio* rather than kept your sworn promise all those years ago, and undeservedly sentenced my beloved little woodenhead to be further mocked, harassed, bullied, made fun of, and laughed at until 'twas reversed by something you believed was *NEVER* possible for someone like him...'