"Now clap to the left, clap to the right, clap in front and clap behind~"
The children giggled as they watched the pretty librarian demonstrate how to dance to the song that played on the television. She sang along with it as she followed the instructions and then encouraged them to join her with a beckoning of her hands. Not one child, even the normally reclusive Baelfire remained sitting. They all eagerly jumped up to join in with the song and dance. As the song started over, they all clapped and moved their feet front and back like she showed them, some watching closely to make sure they didn't mess up. As for Baelfire Gold, he was having the time of his life.
"Clap your hands, clap your hands, clap your hands everywhere. Clap them low to your toes."
He bent down to do as instructed, giggling along with the rest of the kids.
"And clap them high in the air."
*Clap, clap.*
Bae had been a shy child, keeping quiet and not trying to join in at recess with his classmates, much to the concern of his teacher Miss White. A young blonde girl named Emma had tried to befriend him but got discouraged after he awkwardly remained silent. His home life wasn't the best, but at six years old he already knew if he said anything it may result in people coming to take him away. He had seen it from television before papa rushed in and shut it off.
Papa was awesome. He was always playing with him, telling him stories, making the meals and sneaking cookies to him after dinner. He was the one who read to him every night at bedtime and gave him baths when he needed them. Papa woke him up for school and gave him a ride there. He made sure to call home to make sure that he got home safe off the bus and called the library on Thursdays knowing he would be there. Papa always picked him up afterward, sometimes even had food from Granny's with him. That was one reason Baelfire loved Thursdays, Papa would have a bunch of raspberry jam cookies with him and whisper that they wouldn't tell mama. That it would be their secret.
Mama...mama didn't do that. If she was home she was always saying "Rumple the boy needs to eat. Rumple the boy stinks, he needs a bath. Rumple the boy is watching too much tv." Meanwhile she nursed a glass of whiskey and soda pop or she played her word puzzles or card games with her friends. If she wasn't home...well he didn't know where she was. He asked papa, but papa said that mama was at an adult playhouse and would be back. Baelfire stopped hugging her after the fifth time he tried and she said "Grow up boy, you're not a baby anymore". Papa had heard what she said and became angry, he didn't say anything at that time, he just led him away by the hand and they watched television together until bedtime. But Bae knew that when he got upstairs and went to bed the yelling would start. He pretended that he didn't know, but he could hear how loud mama yelled from downstairs.
He had always hated the idea of going back home from school because of that. Papa would still be gone for an hour or two when he got home. That was the busiest time at his Pawn Shop, but he always came home at the same time and set to work on their food after giving him a big hug. He still hated to go home without papa through the week. Papa had offered to let him come to the shop with him, but he got bored. The shop was busy at that time and papa barely had a few minutes to talk with him before another customer was coming in.
Now at least he had somewhere to go for a while on Thursdays until papa got off work and the librarian was really nice.
When Miss French moved into town it caught everyone's attention. She had just moved there from somewhere in Australia and Bae was secretly fascinated by her almost instantly. He hadn't had any idea there were other people with accents besides he and his papa until he met her. Papa had seemed fascinated by her as well, but Bae supposed he had to be. Miss French had bought the Library and the apartment above it from him outright. Papa had insisted on him coming to the shop with him that day and that's when he first officially met Miss French.
She had a warm and welcoming smile on her face when she walked in and saw him. Little Bae couldn't help but shyly smile back at her. It was papa's gentle urging to say hello that made him break his silence around strangers. Miss French had told him of her plans for the Library and invited him to come there after school every day if he liked to after she got everything set up. She went on to say she wanted to do something special with the children of the town on Thursdays after school. She even asked his opinion and included his suggestion of snacks into her plan. There weren't a lot of sweets, but there was always lemonade and sandwiches and sometimes fruit. Occasionally they'd have brownies too.
He came to find he liked Miss French very quickly. She never lost her temper with the rowdier children, she was always gentle and kind when urging them to their seats for story time. She encouraged some of the kids to read, gently reminding them to sound out a word they found difficult to read or understand. Now that he thought about it, it was probably because of Miss French that he had friends now. She'd encouraged him to "come out of his shell" as she called it. She talked to him about super heroes and comic books, about video games, movies, and their favorite books. She even confessed she had quite a sweet tooth of her own.
She was a great friend to have and because of her he had other friends too. Even Emma.
"Clap to the left, clap to the right, clap in front and clap behind~"
As the song came to a close she moved her hands from behind her back and wiggled her fingers. That got he and his classmates giggling again.
"Alright everyone I think we've earned a snack, help yourselves. We have cookies today."
That was all the encouragement that his class mates needed, but Baelfire stuck behind, seeing the book she read to them earlier still on the table. He went to retrieve it for her and then paused before he picked it up realizing it was a different book. Her Han...d..so..me...Handsome Hero. Her Handsome Hero is what he held in his hands as he went to her and held the book out for her.
"Miss French you left this on the table."
Miss French turned with her usual warm smile then her eyes got wide when she saw what he held in his hands. At first he thought he was in trouble before she was smiling again and bent to take it from his offering hands.
"Oh Baelfire, thank you. If you hadn't found it I'd have gone crazy. I simply can't function without this book."
He giggled again when she reached a hand up and ruffled his hair, though now he was curious about this book she said she needed.
"Is it magic?" he asked curiously and watched as Miss French's smile grew.
"I suppose you can say it is. You see this book has sentimental value to me."
"What is sentiental..semtomental.."
Miss French patiently waited for him to get the word right, not rushing him and not correcting him until he gave her a look that said "help".
"Don't forget to sound it out. Sen-"
"Sen-"
"Tim-"
"Tim-"
"Men-"
"Men-"
"Tal."
"Tal... Sen-tim-men-tal." Her nod and smile had him beaming back at her. "What does sen-tim-men-tal mean?"
"It means it has value not because of the price that money can buy, but because its precious to your heart. This book is the first one my mama ever read to and gave to me. Do you have anything like that?"
Baelfire didn't even have to think about it. He eagerly nodded and pulled a carved wood horse from his jeans pocket.
"Papa carved this horse for me. We got on all kinds of adventures! Slaying dragons, fighting ogres, saving princesses. His name is Princeton."
"What a fitting name," she replied.
Neither of them knew that Rumplestiltskin was standing, silently watching them with a warm smile of his own in the doorway. Just as he knew she would be, Miss French was a good influence on his son. Encouraging him rather than knocking him down like Milah often did. He had thought at first that she simply didn't realize what she was doing. But how could she possibly miss the fact that their son was avoiding spending time with her? How could she miss the way his shoulders slumped when she didn't bother to even call him by name? He had tried his best to bring his son back up, and for the most part he liked to think he had done a good job. But Miss French had most certainly assisted.
"Mama doesn't love me.."
Bae's small voice reached him where he stood, the sadness in his tone breaking his heart. And it appeared breaking Miss French's as well. She put a hand to Bae's shoulder, the other going over her heart.
"Baelfire, I'm sure that's not true.. Why would you say something like that?"
"Because she doesn't.." he replied, his voice sounding all the more low now. Rumplestiltskin knew that tone, it was the one Bae used to try to keep from crying.
He should step in, he should wrap his tender hearted son in a hug and swear he'd never let go, but he found himself rooted to the spot instead. Bae told him much of how he saw things and how he felt. But he never actually said he felt his mother didn't love him. How long had he been harboring this?
"Why do you think she doesn't sweetheart?" Miss French gently encouraged.
"She doesn't hug me, she doesn't call me by my name, she calls me "the boy". She doesn't remember my birthday she's gone when it comes around and on the holidays. And she always t-tells me I'm not a baby no-more and to grow up.."
Miss French looked absolutely horrified by this revelation while sadness for his son appeared on her face. He heard her take two quickly drawn in breaths, an obvious tell she was fighting back tears of her own.
"But your papa, you have a good relationship with him right?" she encouraged.
Baelfire wiped his eyes and nose on his sleeves as he nodded. He had started to cry then, but it seemed the Librarian was already making him feel better. In response to Bae's nod, Miss French's smile returned, though it was a lot more forced now.
"See, there you go. I've met your papa and he'd move mountains for you if he could. He'll always be there to help and love you. I can't say what's happening with your mama. Maybe she's just depressed and needs to know you love her? My papa was like that for a while too after my mama passed away. He tried to push me away, but I kept showing him I love him. Eventually he came back to himself and came back to be the papa I knew and loved. I'm not saying to put yourself through pain, because I can see this hurts you very badly.."
She paused to open her arms when the boy sniffled and nodded. Baelfire needed no further encouragement he stepped forward and hugged her tight. She closed her own arms around him gently.
"Just give her a little nudge here and there, maybe a cookie or something that she enjoys. I won't promise it'll get better, but its worth a try right?" Bae nodded again and pulled away to rub his eyes and nose again on his sleeves and Miss French removed her arms from him with no hesitation. "Feel better now?"
"Yeah, a lot better," he admitted with a smile and a sniffle.
"Sometimes a person just needs a good cry to feel all better again."
Bae nodded sagely. "And cookies. Papa and me always sneaks extras after supper."
"Well that explains why you two are so sweet."
Baelfire giggled and Rumplestiltskin couldn't help but chuckle as well as he fully made his way into the room. Bae's big eyes, still watery lit right up upon seeing him. The boy wasted no time in getting up and running to his father, wrapping his arms around him in a big hug. Rumple wondered if he should ask his son about what he overheard when they got home or if he should let it go and let Bae come to him. Perhaps he would hedge the subject after supper while he was giving Bae his bath.
"What do you say we head home Bae? We have supper to make."
Baelfire eagerly nodded, quite hungry since he didn't bother to have sandwiches, cookies, and lemonade. "Have a good weekend Miss French!" he called as he ran for the door and he paused there when she replied the same to him. "Oh and don't eat any cookies."
She seemed surprised by that one and blinked at him. "No cookies?" He shook his head. "Why not?"
"Because you're already sweet like a princess."
"He's right you know, have a good weekend Miss French," Rumple added.
Belle could do nothing but stare after them, her hand over her heart. That was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever said to her. Both father and son were one of a kind and she felt honored to know them.
OUARB: Please don't hate me for the light I painted Milah in. I gave fair warning in the tags, I hate her and its going to show. And no, she's not the way she is because she's "depressed" that was Belle being optimistic for Bae's sake. Milah is just a self centered idiot. She cares for no one but herself. If she was in canon or not, that's up to you to decide but that's how I saw her. This is how she is in this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT nor any character in it. I also don't own the song Clap Your Hands. That belongs to LBB. I make no profit from this fanfiction and as far as I know this is not a plot that's been done in this fandom before. The only thing I own are OCs that may show up from time to time.