Elle's POV
I felt my body freeze up completely as I saw the smoke from the fired weapon. I braced myself for the death I thought would soon follow, but instead, I felt the cold metal from the barrel of the gun leave my temple, as Gaston's body slumped to the floor.

Lumiere's hand slowly let go of the weapon and it fell to the ground.

Before I even knew what was happening, Stefan was behind me, cutting my zip ties with a knife from a kitchen.

"I-I don't understand-" I started, but my body was quickly pulled into Stefan's. I could feel his heartbeat practically beat out of his chest as he held me tighter.

"Fuck." Was all he whispered, as I let him hold me like that for a while.

Stefan's POV
I glanced over at Lumiere as I held Elle even closer to me. I could see the last bits of his old self leave him as he collected the weapons that were around us. I pulled Elle away from me before Lumiere could even think about doing what he had left behind 4 years ago.

"I'll call someone in to clean it up." I spoke firmly as I saw Lumiere silently thank me. This wasn't him anymore, and if I had to spend the rest of my life reminding him of that, I would.

"We need to head out now." Lumiere reminded us as I slowly guided Elle through the home.

"What about Pierre?" She asked, glancing up at me.

"He'll be awake in a few hours. By then, he'll also be handcuffed in a holding cell, waiting to be transferred to one of my families more personal prisons." I replied, giving Lumiere another slight nod as we all entered the now bone chilling night weather, and headed towards my car.

-

"You can head in, Elle. I'm sure Mrs. Potts would love to see you. The dinner party ended a little bit ago, so it's okay to head in through the front of the estate. Mariano is also still here if you'd like to say hello. He'd be more than happy to see you." I nodded to Elle as she placed a soft light kiss on my lips before heading inside.

I just wanted to grab her by the hips and deepen it, but I needed to speak with Lumiere first. As soon as Elle had entered the house, I drew the gun I had concealed inside my my waist band, and cocked it at Lumiere.

"You fucked up." I stated simply. His eyes grew wide.

"I'm sorry." He replied, his body rigid as he stared back at the gun that was pointed directly between his eyes.

"You were willing to give up my life, in order to save Elle's." I continued.

"Yes." He nodded, without skipping a heartbeat.

"You love her." I stated simply.

This question threw him off a bit, as he hesitated before slowly nodding.

I eventually lowered my weapon. "Head inside, Lumiere. I'm positive Mrs. Potts has been doing nothing but worrying." I nodded.

This threw him completely off.

"I- I don't understand." He replied, glancing up at me with the same facial expression he had given me when he first walked into my office.

"If you are willing to make those hard decisions in order to consistently assure Elle's safety, there's no other place I'd want for you to be than here. I need to know that there is someone who will put Elle first, before me.

"This job will be the thing that kills me, and I'm too selfish to let Elle go like that again, so when this line of work does choose to take my life, Elle must be kept safe. Her life will always come first in this home, is that understood?" I asked, sliding the weapon back under my waistband.

"Yes." Lumiere nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt. Before he could reach for the car door's handle, I stopped him again.

"But if you even think of expressing your feelings for Elle in any way besides a friendly manner, I will slowly rip apart every limb in your body until you are nothing more than unrecognizable parts." I growled, my voice going so death threatening low, I could visibly see Lumiere's body begin to shake.

"G-G-Got it." He nodded nervously as he scrambled out of the car.

I switched off the engine and followed shortly behind him. I had to make a phone call.

-

My office seemed cold and empty, the opposite of what it was less than an hour ago when we had a team in here ready to get Elle. Though the paper was thin, I could still feel the second note Mrs. Potts had slipped into my pocket at the dinner earlier. I had only glanced at it, then slipped it back in my pocket because it didn't hold any value at the time.

But now it did.

It was something I was hoping to put off forever, but after witnessing tonight's events, and seeing just how far she was willing to go, I knew I had to do it.

I settled into my desk and pulled out my phone, along with the note, before punching in the number that was scribbled down.

The phone rang twice before I heard a woman pick up.

"Hello?" She asked, sounding a bit curious yet impatient. It was a voice I hadn't heard in years.

"Hello, Irene." I replied. There was silence on the other end before she finally spoke again.

"It's been a while, Stefan." She replied, as he voice changed into the melancholy sweet sound I had grown so used to. That was before I knew who she really was.

"That it has." I agreed.

"Why have you never called?" She asked, but the conversation she was hoping for wasn't the one she was going to get.

"I only have a few moments to get my point across so bare with me as I set things straight. I have been gracious in allowing you to do your work within the Russian Mafia. Hell, I've been gracious enough in allowing you to live. But those days are over. Irene Petrov, if you so even think of hurting Elle in any way again, I will end you-"

"Now Stefan-" Irene tried to cut in, but I wasn't finished.

"It's Mr. DeGramont to you, and it's going to be Mr. DeGramont to any other one of your foot soldiers you attempt to send after Elle. I built you, Irene, and I will not hesitate to not only destroy you financially, but I will take away everything you love- that's few and far between. Your mother is in your families private hospital out on the country side, your current "play thing" is on a direct order from you to attack a Italian warehouse tonight in a few moments.

"I have let some friends know about these arrangements, along with the arrangements you have made for the next 6 months within the Russian Mafia. I am done playing whatever game you think this is. If you are ready to go to war against the DeGramont Family, then make it clear. But I'd hold off until you do a recount of your weapons tomorrow morning." I finished.

"Y-You cannot do this..." Irene warned, but her words held no weight.

"If you ever decide to threaten something so dear to me again, I will show you what a true beast looks like." I replied, ending the call as I saw a familiar face pop her head through the door way.

"Is it safe?" Elle questioned.

"By all means:" I replied, beckoning her in as I stood to greet her. Before she could get another word in, my lips were on hers as I pulled her closer into me. My need to just feel her was eating away at me

"Stefan." She moaned, doing her best to try and focus on why she had stopped by, but I had already lifted her up and placed her on my desk. My lips must have been cracked from the cold air, but she hadn't seemed to mind as she gave in and pulled me closer to her. Before we could escalate this, I heard another knock on the door.

"Yes?" I called aggravatingly.

"Make decent. I need to speak with you." Mrs. Pots hissed as she let herself in regardless. Elle quickly leaped from my desk, placing one more kiss on my pouted lips before giving a quick nod to Mrs. Potts and slipping out of my office.

"You really do pop in at the worst times." I hissed.

"Yeah, like when I decided to pop into that Whole Foods on a given Tuesday and run into your mother who then enlisted my help in raising her soon to be delinquent son." She snapped back. Our lips couldn't help but curl into a smile. "You didn't die." She acknowledged.

"Not this time." I shook my head. "But my day is nearing. Much like that rose, I won't live forever."

"No. you won't." She agreed. "I take it you made the phone call?" She asked, glancing at the piece of paper that lay on my desk.

"I did." I nodded back to her.

"It's taken care of?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Now let me make something clear you selfish bastard. Before you decide to just take off and risk your life for a woman you love, don't you dare forget that while you may not have biological mother and father here anymore, there are people here who have raised you more than they ever have and those people love you more than you could ever imagine. If anyone is going to leave this wretched world first, it's going to be me. You will not leave me alone with Cogsworth."

...All I could do was smile as Mrs. Potts left.

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1 MORE CHAPTER PEOPLE. I CAN'T. After that, y'all get a new book ;)