Everyone was reeling about the dance that evening when it was over.
Alone in her room, waiting for the rest of her roommates, Ariel idly plucked the petals off a flower John had given her. “He loves me! He loves me not! He loves me!” She giggled, gleefully as she plucked off the last one. “Oh, I knew it! I knew it!”
Rapunzel came dancing into the room. Her hair was coming undone from the many grips and floral bands she had in it and was beginning to trail on the floor but she didn’t care. “What a magical evening!”
“Did Flynn pucker up, then?” giggled Ariel.
“Not yet, but I think he might have done if we’d been alone any longer!” Singing a high note at the top of her voice, Rapunzel spun around the room, got her feet tangled in her hair and fell flat on her face.
“You ok?” asked Ariel.
“You kidding?” Rapunzel grinned up at her from the floor. “Nothing could bring me down tonight!”
Down in the kitchens, Merrida and Linguini had sneaked off because Merrida had dared Linguini to show her how he made his famous Penne Alfredo pasta dish. They were doing their best to be quiet but Linguini, in his clumsy manner, kept dropping the saucepans.
“Shh!” hissed Merrida. “If Colette comes down here and catches us, we’ll be in a heap of trouble!”
“Sorry,” replied Linguini, sheepishly grinning at her. It was hard to impress a girl you liked when nerves took over but he was doing his best to control himself. At any rate, he managed to make the stuff with no more accidents and Merrida did seem somewhat impressed by it.
“Here, try some,” said Linguini, holding up a spoonful of the stuff.
Merrida did so. “Mm!” she said. “Tasty! And I don’t just mean the pasta!”
That comment caused Linguini to blush as red as their hair.
Outside in the grounds, Snow White and Aurora had sneaked off for some privacy. They too were grateful for the fact that Gaston had drunk so much punch that he needed to be fawned over by the Bimbettes; that meant then that he wouldn’t have any need to come out and disturb them. Behind a statue of Aphrodite, they were kissing madly.
“By the way,” murmured Aurora, “you look lovely tonight.”
“So do you,” replied Snow White. “Look, I’m sorry about the other night when Belle walked in on us together...”
Aurora shrugged, carelessly. “As long as she doesn’t tell anyone.”
“She won’t. We can trust Belle.”
They kissed again, uncaringly, unobserved by anyone. “Mm,” Aurora murmured, breaking the kiss. “Come on; the back of the bike sheds.”
“Must we go there?” sighed Snow White.
“It’s the only place no one else will come looking for us; and the last place they’ll expect us to be together.”
Snow White sighed again but smiled. “Ok; more room than a broom closet, I suppose.”
“Hey, come on! That one wasn’t my fault,” laughed Aurora, grabbing her hand and leading her around to the back of the bike shed.
Up in his room, Jim lay in bed with Audrey in his arms. She had looked particularly lovely tonight, and he didn’t just mean her clothing, oh no. Now she was eating properly again, she was beginning to get her figure back.
“Well, Jim Hawkins,” she teased, snuggling up to him. “I didn’t know you were so good at dancing.”
Jim chuckled. “There’s a lot you still don’t know about me, Audrey,” he said, kissing her hair.
“Well, I’m looking forward to finding out more,” she smiled, pressing closer to him.
In the staff room, Mr Nathaniel was handing Miss Maleficent a cup of water. “Oh!” she groaned, rubbing her forehead. “I shouldn’t have had all that punch! Tell me honestly, Mr Nathaniel, have I made a complete fool of myself?”
“No!” He smiled, kindly. “Not at all.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
She smiled back. “Well, that’s very kind of you to say so, Mr Nathaniel. Thank you.”
He blushed. “My pleasure, Miss Maleficent.”
Mr Ratcliffe gallantly offered to walk Cinderella back to her room when they were both exhausted from the dancing. “Thank you very much for inviting me along, Mr Ratcliffe,” she said when they reached her door. “I had a wonderful time.”
“Good.” He smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
“Well, goodnight, sir.”
“Goodnight, Miss Bucket.”
There was a brief pause. There was no one else around. Automatically, they both leaned forwards and kissed.
“Oh, Cinderella,” whispered Mr Ratcliffe, holding her close.
“Oh, Mr Ratcliffe,” breathed Cinderella, feeling foolish for not knowing his first name.
He chuckled, lightly. “John. John Ratcliffe.”
Cinderella smiled. “John Ratcliffe. Would you like to come into my room for a coffee?”
“That sounds wonderful,” he replied. “Lead on.”
Outside her room, Phoebus was saying goodnight to Esme. “Sweet dreams,” he teased her.
“Oh, they will be,” she replied, sweetly, kissing him on the lips. “They’ll all be of you, my love.”
In their room, Aladdin turned to John as he pulled his shoes off. “So, you looked to be having a good time with Ariel, John.”
John went red. “She’s actually quite fun when she’s not stalking a person.”
“Hah!” Aladdin looked over at Flynn. “I think someone’s smitten!”
“Him or me?” asked Flynn, grinning.
“Or me?” laughed Hercules. And then he glanced over at Adam, who was already in bed. “Or him?”
“Shush!” Flynn grinned. “Look at him; he’s sacked out.”
“All that punch?” grinned John.
“Nah, he barely had any of that. If he is drunk, it’s on love.”
“Ah!” sighed Aladdin. “Adam in love! Who’d have thought it?”
“I think it’s sweet,” smiled Hercules. “Belle’s a lovely girl; she’s just right for him.”
“Yeah,” agreed Aladdin, soberly. “It’s nice.”
Of course, they were all unaware that Adam was actually awake and could hear every word they were saying. His mind was not on them, however, but on Belle. It was true what they said. He was in love with her. How could anyone not be?
In Room 8, Meg giggled as she unpinned her hair. “And then what happened?” Jasmine pressed her.
“Uh-uh! Not telling!”
“Oh! That!” Jasmine, having had a bit too much punch herself, let out a shriek of laughter. “Shh!” hissed Meg, indicating Belle in bed. She was curled up beneath the duvet, facing away from them.
“Aw!” smiled Jasmine. “Do you think she and Adam...you know, got together.”
“If you mean did he ask her out, I’m prepared to bet he did.” Meg replied. “Did you see how happy she looked hanging on his arm during the fireworks?”
“Yeah,” agreed Jasmine. “That’s so sweet.”
They, of course, had no way of knowing that Belle was actually awake. She lay there, silently, thinking about Adam, the man she loved. If she had ever doubted it before she had no doubts of her feelings for him now.
Belle fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Alone in her room, waiting for the rest of her roommates, Ariel idly plucked the petals off a flower John had given her. “He loves me! He loves me not! He loves me!” She giggled, gleefully as she plucked off the last one. “Oh, I knew it! I knew it!”
Rapunzel came dancing into the room. Her hair was coming undone from the many grips and floral bands she had in it and was beginning to trail on the floor but she didn’t care. “What a magical evening!”
“Did Flynn pucker up, then?” giggled Ariel.
“Not yet, but I think he might have done if we’d been alone any longer!” Singing a high note at the top of her voice, Rapunzel spun around the room, got her feet tangled in her hair and fell flat on her face.
“You ok?” asked Ariel.
“You kidding?” Rapunzel grinned up at her from the floor. “Nothing could bring me down tonight!”
Down in the kitchens, Merrida and Linguini had sneaked off because Merrida had dared Linguini to show her how he made his famous Penne Alfredo pasta dish. They were doing their best to be quiet but Linguini, in his clumsy manner, kept dropping the saucepans.
“Shh!” hissed Merrida. “If Colette comes down here and catches us, we’ll be in a heap of trouble!”
“Sorry,” replied Linguini, sheepishly grinning at her. It was hard to impress a girl you liked when nerves took over but he was doing his best to control himself. At any rate, he managed to make the stuff with no more accidents and Merrida did seem somewhat impressed by it.
“Here, try some,” said Linguini, holding up a spoonful of the stuff.
Merrida did so. “Mm!” she said. “Tasty! And I don’t just mean the pasta!”
That comment caused Linguini to blush as red as their hair.
Outside in the grounds, Snow White and Aurora had sneaked off for some privacy. They too were grateful for the fact that Gaston had drunk so much punch that he needed to be fawned over by the Bimbettes; that meant then that he wouldn’t have any need to come out and disturb them. Behind a statue of Aphrodite, they were kissing madly.
“By the way,” murmured Aurora, “you look lovely tonight.”
“So do you,” replied Snow White. “Look, I’m sorry about the other night when Belle walked in on us together...”
Aurora shrugged, carelessly. “As long as she doesn’t tell anyone.”
“She won’t. We can trust Belle.”
They kissed again, uncaringly, unobserved by anyone. “Mm,” Aurora murmured, breaking the kiss. “Come on; the back of the bike sheds.”
“Must we go there?” sighed Snow White.
“It’s the only place no one else will come looking for us; and the last place they’ll expect us to be together.”
Snow White sighed again but smiled. “Ok; more room than a broom closet, I suppose.”
“Hey, come on! That one wasn’t my fault,” laughed Aurora, grabbing her hand and leading her around to the back of the bike shed.
Up in his room, Jim lay in bed with Audrey in his arms. She had looked particularly lovely tonight, and he didn’t just mean her clothing, oh no. Now she was eating properly again, she was beginning to get her figure back.
“Well, Jim Hawkins,” she teased, snuggling up to him. “I didn’t know you were so good at dancing.”
Jim chuckled. “There’s a lot you still don’t know about me, Audrey,” he said, kissing her hair.
“Well, I’m looking forward to finding out more,” she smiled, pressing closer to him.
In the staff room, Mr Nathaniel was handing Miss Maleficent a cup of water. “Oh!” she groaned, rubbing her forehead. “I shouldn’t have had all that punch! Tell me honestly, Mr Nathaniel, have I made a complete fool of myself?”
“No!” He smiled, kindly. “Not at all.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
She smiled back. “Well, that’s very kind of you to say so, Mr Nathaniel. Thank you.”
He blushed. “My pleasure, Miss Maleficent.”
Mr Ratcliffe gallantly offered to walk Cinderella back to her room when they were both exhausted from the dancing. “Thank you very much for inviting me along, Mr Ratcliffe,” she said when they reached her door. “I had a wonderful time.”
“Good.” He smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
“Well, goodnight, sir.”
“Goodnight, Miss Bucket.”
There was a brief pause. There was no one else around. Automatically, they both leaned forwards and kissed.
“Oh, Cinderella,” whispered Mr Ratcliffe, holding her close.
“Oh, Mr Ratcliffe,” breathed Cinderella, feeling foolish for not knowing his first name.
He chuckled, lightly. “John. John Ratcliffe.”
Cinderella smiled. “John Ratcliffe. Would you like to come into my room for a coffee?”
“That sounds wonderful,” he replied. “Lead on.”
Outside her room, Phoebus was saying goodnight to Esme. “Sweet dreams,” he teased her.
“Oh, they will be,” she replied, sweetly, kissing him on the lips. “They’ll all be of you, my love.”
In their room, Aladdin turned to John as he pulled his shoes off. “So, you looked to be having a good time with Ariel, John.”
John went red. “She’s actually quite fun when she’s not stalking a person.”
“Hah!” Aladdin looked over at Flynn. “I think someone’s smitten!”
“Him or me?” asked Flynn, grinning.
“Or me?” laughed Hercules. And then he glanced over at Adam, who was already in bed. “Or him?”
“Shush!” Flynn grinned. “Look at him; he’s sacked out.”
“All that punch?” grinned John.
“Nah, he barely had any of that. If he is drunk, it’s on love.”
“Ah!” sighed Aladdin. “Adam in love! Who’d have thought it?”
“I think it’s sweet,” smiled Hercules. “Belle’s a lovely girl; she’s just right for him.”
“Yeah,” agreed Aladdin, soberly. “It’s nice.”
Of course, they were all unaware that Adam was actually awake and could hear every word they were saying. His mind was not on them, however, but on Belle. It was true what they said. He was in love with her. How could anyone not be?
In Room 8, Meg giggled as she unpinned her hair. “And then what happened?” Jasmine pressed her.
“Uh-uh! Not telling!”
“Oh! That!” Jasmine, having had a bit too much punch herself, let out a shriek of laughter. “Shh!” hissed Meg, indicating Belle in bed. She was curled up beneath the duvet, facing away from them.
“Aw!” smiled Jasmine. “Do you think she and Adam...you know, got together.”
“If you mean did he ask her out, I’m prepared to bet he did.” Meg replied. “Did you see how happy she looked hanging on his arm during the fireworks?”
“Yeah,” agreed Jasmine. “That’s so sweet.”
They, of course, had no way of knowing that Belle was actually awake. She lay there, silently, thinking about Adam, the man she loved. If she had ever doubted it before she had no doubts of her feelings for him now.
Belle fell asleep with a smile on her face.