It had not been a restful night for anyone. As if any of them could sleep after that disaster, after all the violence they had seen. Taemin was certain his sister would have nightmares for months. So would Jongin. So would he. Nightmares and anger and guilt and all the nasty emotions that had been brought on by that night.

He knew it would take some time for them all to move past it. It would take some time for their family to truly be a family again.

Breakfast was usually a happy time for the four of them. They would usually talk and make jokes and poke fun at Naeun's cooking. That day, in one of the spare dining rooms in Minho's house, over Taemin's cooking, there wasn't much joking or laughter to be had. All four of them were silent. It was almost a torture just hearing them chew and nothing else.

How had two months reduced their family to that?

"This is all my fault," Daevy said, breaking the long, painful silence. All of his children stopped eating. Daevy hung his head over his food and battled his own guilt over the situation. "I should never have brought this on my family, I'm sorry."

Normally, Taemin would have tried to dissuade his father's guilt, but he had no desire to that morning.

"You didn't plan for any of this to happen," Naeun spoke instead, saying the words he knew he would have.

"I know, but I still failed you all, over and over again. I shouldn't have let Taemin's decision destroy me. I shouldn't have let it drive us all this far. I'm sorry."

"A lot of people made mistakes," Taemin said. Everyone involved had been responsible in some way. His father, Jongin, Naeun, Minho, Krystal, Kibum, the band of hunters - it was hard to place blame on any one person for the previous night. He was sure even he made some mistakes along the way.

"I promise you all - I swear on the memory of your mother that I will be a better father. I won't turn into a wasteful drunk ever again. No matter what becomes of us as a family, I won't let it destroy me."

"But Minho's curse is broken now, isn't it?" Naeun spoke after a pause, "That means we can all go home together...can't we?"

"To where? A village where the hunters returned to spread tales of the beast and our involvement with it? Do you really think we can go back to our life there after all of this?" Taemin said logically.

"We could start fresh," Daevy suggested, "We wouldn't have to go back to that village. We could leave it behind and find some place new. We could all be together again. That is...if you want to come with us."

His father must have accepted the possibility that Taemin would want to stay in that house. He didn't know how unrealistic that possibility was, since those four men would be out of there as soon as possible, now that the curse was broken. But the fact that he was willing to let him said a lot. He wasn't going to force him to do anything. He wouldn't lock him in his bedroom to keep them together.

"I don't know what I want to do yet," Taemin said honestly, "But I think a fresh start would be great...for all of us."

Daevy smiled softly. And Taemin smiled. For the first time that morning, he met the eyes of his two siblings and no longer felt so angry at them. No matter the disaster, everything turned out for the better.

Minho's curse was broken because of it. Four men were now free. Five, if he counted himself.

"Whatever happens from now on, we're a family," Taemin added, "Nothing is going to change that."

When Minho awoke, he expected to be in the garden. He expected to be and alone out in the grass. It felt unreal when he realized he was in his bed, wearing pajamas. In the seventeen years he had been trapped in there - he could now recall the exact amount of time - he had never woken in his bed. He had never woken with his clothing intact. He had never woken feeling like normal man.

He opened his eyes and took in the sight of his familiar bedroom. It looked different that morning. Perhaps it was the open windows that let the sun light in. Or perhaps it was just from him viewing it all in a different way. It was no longer his locked prison. It was just a bedroom.

What surprised him more was his only visitor. He expected Jinki to be there with him, or at least Taemin. Instead, there was Krystal. Seeing her there, casually browsing through his belongings, it seemed like they were both in the past again. After all, neither of them looked any different. Those seventeen years of pain and hatred had only marred their spirits, not their bodies.

Minho sat up, relieved that there were no sharp pains to greet him. He was a little fatigued still, but Krystal's magic had been complete. There were no wounds left on his body.

His movement caught the witch's attention.

"Why are you here?" Minho asked curiously.

"To make sure the magic worked," she answered with a shrug, pretending it wasn't a big deal. "Besides, Jinki needed a break."

"Where is everyone?"

"Around here somewhere."

"Is Taemin's family still here?"

"Yep, all of them." She stepped closer to his bed and leaned against the bedpost. She stared at him like she was expecting something from him. He didn't know what though. "Aren't you going to thank me?"

"For what? Ruining my life?" Minho replied grumpily as he removed the covers.

"Sheesh, Minho..." she said.

"What? You think that one good deed can erase everything else you did to me?"

"'Good deed'? I saved your life!"

"After ruining it."

"From where I'm standing, it looks like I did you a favor."

He stared at her crossly. It was strange how not angered he was by her claim.

"Who knows what damage you would have caused in these seventeen years? How many hearts you would have broken? How many people you would have destroyed? Face it, if you had continued like that, it would have left you alone and empty. Look what you have now."

"A broken front door and a burned ballroom."

"Hey, you brought that attack on yourself, lover boy. If you hadn't gone tearing up a village, they never would have wanted to kill you in the first place."

She was right and he knew it, but it still didn't make his anger over the situation any less strong. Those hunters had been careless and destructive, and his friends had been hurt because of it.

"We could go on like this forever," Krystal said in the end, sounding a little tired of it. "We could blame each other, we could blame everyone else..."

"It's easier to blame everyone else," he replied.

She stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his arm. Surprisingly, he didn't feel repulsed. Though it was still a little strange feeling her hands on him again.

"That boy taught you how to love. I think there's one other thing you could learn from him."

"What's that?"

"Forgiveness."

She stood on her toes and gave him a light kiss on the cheek, before pulling away. He watched her leave his bedroom, but he remained and contemplated everything she had said.

He couldn't believe that deep down, he actually believed she was right. Somehow those seventeen years of darkness had made him a better person.

The smell of freshly cooked food led Minho all the way to the kitchen. It was nice seeing Jinki in there, along with Kibum and Jonghyun. They all looked well and unscathed, and somehow they were smiling. With the four of them alone together in the untouched kitchen, he might have thought nothing had changed.

But everything so obviously had.

"You're awake!" Jinki said with his usual bright smile. It seemed so much more infectious that morning.

Jonghyun gave him a big embrace, which was a little awkward but not unwarranted after everything that happened. "I still can't believe it, can you? I actually stepped outside the gate today without any trouble. We're free, Minho!"

"Yeah, we are," he concurred. He knew it better than anyone else.

"Now that everyone's awake...Kibum, can you go get Taemin and his family?"

"All of them?" the magician asked warily.

"Yes, all of them. Go!"

Kibum shrugged skeptically, but did as he said, leaping from the counter to go fetch the rest of the occupants. Minho clapped him on the shoulder on his way by, still overwhelmed with relief that his friend had survived. From his simple eye-contact, Minho could tell he felt the same way too.

Jinki grabbed one of his freshly-cooked dishes and carried it out to the adjoining dining room, where he had a mini feast prepared. Minho followed him there and was surprised. He hadn't seen that much food in a long time. Jinki must have been slaving away all morning to make so much.

Krystal was already in the dining room, seated in the chair that Minho typically occupied. He decided not to make a deal out of it though. It was strange how unaffected he was by her presence. And strange that she continued to stick around. Three months ago, he would have just as soon killed her.

But he let her be, like she belonged in that house, like she used to. He instead offered to help Jinki set the table, which actually felt stranger.

Within a few minutes, Kibum had returned with Taemin's family. The four of them looked all-over uncomfortable, like they weren't sure what they were being summoned for. Even Taemin, who belonged at that table as much as any of them, looked wary. But when he caught Minho’s eye, his discomfort eased slightly, and he smiled at seeing him well.

"It's breakfast time," Jinki announced joyously, acting like all the awkwardness between everyone didn't exist. "Go on, everyone take a seat."

Silently, they all did as he said. The large table was soon full of the nine of them, with Taemin's family on one side, the mansion's residents on the other, and Krystal at the head. For a while, they all just sat there, even with all the delicious steaming food tempting them. Minho knew what Jinki was trying to do, but he wasn't very confident that it would work. After all, it had only been a few hours.

There was still a lot of bitterness between the nine of them, although Minho himself didn't feel any of it at the moment. At least not at Taemin's family. Not even Jongin.

The butler/maid/housekeeper/cook looked like he was expecting someone to say something first, but when it was obvious no one was going to, he took the lead.

"Okay, I'm just gonna come out and say it first...I'm sorry."

"Jinki, you have nothing to be sorry for," Kibum pointed out logically. He also looked a little embarrassed for the cook, who was trying so hard to smooth everything over.

"I have a lot to be sorry for," Jinki replied, "Minho was my friend, I should have never let this happen to him. I should have corrected his behavior. I should have told him when he was wrong. And I should have protected him."

"You know I never would have listened to you," Minho pointed out.

"That’s no excuse for me not trying. So...I’m sorry. And I think we're all sorry, for the ways we mistreated each other, for the ways we acted rashly, and for all the pain we caused each other, intentional or not. I know we could all leave and go our separate ways and never see each other again, in which case, saying we're sorry wouldn't be necessary...but none of us have done that. We're all still here, which means we want to say it, even if we don't know how.

"So I'm saying it for us, so we can put all that pain behind us."

"Do you think it'll be that easy?" Taemin asked. He didn't voice the question to challenge him, but because he wanted an honest answer.

"If we want it to be."

Everyone heard what he said and contemplated it, while the food before them continued to steam, untouched. Since Jinki had taken the lead, Minho figured he could be kind enough to follow. He stood so he could better reach the food, grabbed the nearest dish, then extended it to Jongin – the person he had the most reason to be angry with at the moment, but who he wasn’t.

Satisfied, Jinki took another dish and passed it to Taemin across from him.

The meal was officially started. It was a silent meal, but it was a meal they all shared together. And it was the first start.

Taemin was a little surprised to find Minho out in the garden. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't. It was his habit after all. He thought having his curse broken would have made him try something different, but then again, maybe he wanted to experience that habit in a different way, now that he was free.

It was Minho's first night since the curse was broken. It was his first night as a man in seventeen years. Instead of being curled up on the ground as he would do as a beast, he sat on the edge of the fountain and stared up at the stars. His quiet moment alone was interrupted when Taemin approached.

He heard his footsteps and turned to him with a smile. Taemin took a seat beside him and handed him one of the peaches he had plucked on his way there. Minho thanked him, but said nothing else. He turned his attention back to the garden and just stared at it. Taemin wondered what thoughts were going through his head.

"I thought you'd be in your bed," Taemin said as he chewed on his fruit, "Being as this is your first night as a human and all."

"I'll sleep there tonight. I just wanted to take some time to enjoy this."

He didn't blame him. It was a beautiful night.

"So what are you going to do now?" Taemin asked after another pause.

"I'm not sure yet," Minho answered, "Obviously I can't stay here, now that people know about the beast. The hunters might come again. And even if they didn't, I could never get rid of the stigma that the curse brought on this place. I'm thinking...a fresh start would be nice. Somewhere new, where people know nothing about the beast. Or even about who I used to be."

"That sounds good. My family is moving for a fresh start, too. To some place where we can put this all behind us."

"Are you going with them?"

"I don't know," Taemin said honestly. He was old enough to be on his own if he wanted, but he wasn't sure that was what he wanted. He knew he couldn't be too far from his family for long. He loved them all too much.

"I wonder what Kibum and Jonghyun will do," Minho said thoughtfully. "I'm sure I'll never be rid of Jinki."

"It's a little strange, but I think I'm gonna miss this place," Taemin mused, "Just the five of us here, being strange."

"I won't miss it. I'll miss everyone, but not this place."

"Understandable."

Minho finally started eating his snack and the both of them grew silent again as the beautiful night grabbed their attention. Taemin wondered what would become of the property once they were all gone. That garden would probably be ruined and overgrown in no time. The large mansion would crumble away. All of the hard work Jinki and Jonghyun had put into that place would be destroyed.

But it had been a prison for seventeen years. He supposed it was justice that it would waste away.

"Thank you, Taemin."

He thought of asking him what for, but he already knew the answer.

"I didn't do it, you know," he said. "You broke the curse on your own. You could have done it all along. Having someone fall in love with you wasn't the answer."

"I know that now, but I don't think I would have even gotten to this point if it wasn't for you."

Taemin shrugged. "You might have."

"I wasn't capable of it, remember?" he said, referring to their last argument.

Taemin smiled softly. "I guess you proved me wrong."

Minho playfully nudged his arm, before taking another bite of his fruit.

"So what about Krystal?"

"What about her?" Minho asked.

"Any chance for a...rekindling?"

Minho stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Taemin shrugged coyly, "You both seem to be getting along now." He was teasing him of course.

"I'm not capable of it."

Taemin laughed. It was a good thought at least.

"Naeun on the other hand..."

"I'm still not letting you anywhere near my sister," Taemin said sternly.

It was now Minho's turn to . "Really? Come on, Taemin, after all I've gone through, you could help me out a little."

"I'd just as soon lock you back in this mansion."

Minho's mischievous smile mellowed a bit. "I guess you'll never consider me worthy of her." He almost looked sad about it, like he thought Taemin's opinion of him hadn't changed at all.

"She's my sister. No man is worthy of her."

"What would I have to do?"

Taemin turned so that he was facing him and gave him his full attention. "Minho, you're free. You can go anywhere, meet anyone. My sister isn't the only available woman out there."

"But I want her."

"Why? You don't even know her."

"But I know you. And I know your family. You're strong and determined and you love each other more than anything. I want that type of wife. I want that type of family."

He wanted his family. He wanted to be part of his family. He wanted them to be family.

"But you don't love her."

"I want to love her."

"Like you love me?" After all, he had to have loved him.

Minho paused, but answered the awkward question honestly. "More than I love you."

Taemin knew he believed what he was saying, but he couldn't be certain that Minho really would be that selfless. He had failed miserably only a day ago. He couldn't be certain that in a few months, or a year, or five years, his selfishness wouldn’t be back.

"Just give me a chance."

He took another slow bite of his peach and contemplated Minho's sorry expression. "I could give you all the chances in the world, but it really wouldn't matter," he said as he turned back to face the garden, "It's Naeun you'd have to convince. And then my father."

With his expression, Minho looked like he had been freed all over again. "Then I will try my best."

"I didn't say that you could." But with the way Minho was staring at him, he knew he already would. He just kept staring at him, until he finally cracked. "Fine, try your best, but don't expect me to be rooting for you."

"It wouldn't be much fun if you were," he said with a smirk.

"Bastard," Taemin said under his breath.

"I may be a bastard, but remember...you love me."

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "No more than I love my own brother."

"Good," Minho said, moving in closer so that he was invading his personal space. "Because I'll be your brother one day." He pecked him unexpectedly on the nose, then jumped up and started walking away, further into the garden.

Taemin sat baffled for a second, before he regained his senses and chucked his half-eaten peach at Minho’s back. He was, of course, unaffected by it, but he suddenly turned back to the fountain. He grabbed Taemin's arms and pulled him to his feet.

"What?" Taemin asked.

"Come on. One last stroll through the garden before we leave this place forever."

And that night, Minho didn’t return to his room like he planned to. They both fell asleep in the garden.

A/N: Don't hate me. *hides behind Kibum*

I did warn you that this wasn't a 2min "romance", and with how obsessed Minho has been with trying to obtain Naeun thoughout the whole story, you had to have seen that coming...right? *hides back a little further*

Don't worry, I don't plan on bursting your 2min bubbles completely.

Only one chapter left now. :( Comments, subs, and votes are all appreciated!